Take a Deep Breath
by MissMy80sShows
Summary: Amanda and Lee are back from their honeymoon in full work and family mode. Will a new case take their breath away or will family life be too tough for Lee? COMPLETE 2/13/19
1. Chapter 1

**Take a Deep Breath**

 **Chapter 1**

"Yeah, Billy, let me just finish up this box, and change and I'll be there in an hour. No, no it's all right. We've got everything under control here," Lee replied into the phone as he glanced over at Amanda, watching him with a raised eyebrow. He hung up the phone and began to explain, "Amanda, I need to run into the office for a few hours this afternoon. There's been a problem with one of my contacts-"

Amanda held her hand up to stop him, her lips pressed tightly together. She didn't want to hear any more. They were standing in the garage, still unpacking boxes, waiting for the delivery truck to get there with the boys' bedroom sets. "When do you think you'll be back?" she asked sharply.

Lee blew out a frustrated breath and said, "Few hours tops. I wouldn't go…" Amanda interrupted him with a snarky laugh, but he ignored her and continued, "I wouldn't go except it has to do with -"

"Not another word, Stetson. I'll just stay here and finish unpacking what I can, get the boys' rooms set up, help Mother finish her room AND still make dinner," she snapped at him.

Lee put his hands on her shoulders, kissed her cheek and said, "I'll make it up to you tonight, I promise. And Monday, I'll drive the boys to school so you can sleep in a little. I wouldn't go if I didn't have to, believe me."

Amanda closed her eyes, shook her head and replied defeatedly, "I know." She looked down and saw a box marked KITCHEN. "Can you bring that one to Mother? I'm not sure what's in it, but she'll figure it out," she asked.

Lee gave her a weak smile, lifted the box and carried it up the steps, Amanda behind him carrying another one marked FAMILY ROOM. They had been diligent, carefully marking each box and when they moved the boxes to the new house, they were unpacking slowly but steadily. They entered the house through the kitchen, Amanda heading into the lower level while Lee placed the box on the edge of the kitchen island.

"Dotty, Amanda and I came across this one in the garage. I'm not sure what's in it," Lee explained when Dotty turned around and looked at him.

"My hands are a little full trying to arrange this pantry. Can you open it for me?" Dotty asked. "I love this pantry. We could have used one of these at the other house. Although, I feel like we need to go grocery shopping just to fill it." She surveyed the shelves, moved the boxes of cereal one shelf higher, then back down again, indecisively.

Lee grabbed a knife from the drawer beside him, sliced into the tape and using a sawing motion, cut through the packing tape holding the box flaps closed. He dropped the knife onto the counter and roughly pulled upward on the box flap. Dotty turned to thank him just as he was rewarded with a cloud of flour covering his head and shoulders. She covered her mouth to stifle her laugh when she saw the angry look on Lee's powder covered face. "That must be the box of baking supplies I was looking for," she admitted.

Lee pushed the box further onto the counter and stated, "I need to take a quick shower before I head to the office. Do you need anything else?"

Dotty shook her head as she replied sympathetically, "No, but I agree, you do need a shower." She pulled the box closer to take note of any other collateral damage and asked, "I thought you and Amanda were off until Monday?"

"We are, but I just got a call from my boss. I have to help him with a little problem he's having. I won't be gone too long," Lee explained as he began to leave the room.

"Well, don't forget the delivery truck should be here soon. I moved Amanda's car earlier, but yours might still be in the way," Dotty reminded him.

"Hopefully I'll be gone before the truck gets here," Lee called as he took the stairs, two steps at a time. He pulled a clean pair of jeans and a clean shirt from his closet and carried them into the bathroom. He turned up the water, stripped off his flour-covered clothing and had just stepped into the stream when he heard Philip yelling up the stairs to him, "Lee! The delivery truck is here!"

As Lee debated what to do, Philip knocked on the bathroom door and opened it just a crack, "Lee, your car is in the way and the delivery guy is being a jerk. Want me to move it?"

"No! No, ask your mother to-" Lee snapped quickly.

"Mom just left. Said she was going to get some aspirin because she couldn't find any," Philip cut him off.

Lee grunted and said, "Listen, my keys should be on the kitchen counter. See if your grandmother can move it out front. Or ask the guys to wait a few more minutes."

"Will do!" Philip replied as he closed the door and headed down the stairs.

Several minutes passed and Lee was just rinsing himself off when he heard a loud thud come from outside. "Those damn delivery guys better not have hit the garage," Lee grumbled as he snapped the water off and pulled the towel from the rack. Before he finished drying himself, he heard Jamie yelling for him.

"LEE! Lee, you need to come here fast! LEE!" Jamie screamed in a panic from the bottom of the stairs.

Lee shook his head, yanked on his clothes quickly and grabbed his sneakers as he ran down the stairs. "Jamie? What's going on? What's all the yelling about?" He didn't see anyone in the main foyer or in the kitchen, so he slipped his feet into his sneakers and headed into the garage. As he turned the corner, the first thing he saw was Philip's face, completely white as he comforted Dotty. Just past them, he saw Jamie standing beside the delivery men, his face also white. Lee scanned the driveway and gasped when he saw his car, the passenger side partially crushed by the basketball hoop. "What… whaaa…. What happened to my car?" Lee sputtered waving his hand in the direction of his damaged Corvette.

"Mother?" Amanda's voice rang clear across the yard. Lee turned to see Amanda running from the front yard toward them.

"Amanda? My car! What happened to my car?" Lee groaned.

"Lee, I'm so sorry!" Dotty began as she walked slowly to him. "I thought it was going to be simple. The men said I just needed to pull it to this side of the driveway, so I climbed right in and pulled it over, no problem. I put it in park or at least I thought I put it in park, but when I started to climb out it started to roll backward so I jumped right back in it!" Dotty babbled.

"But how did you… how did the basketball hoop…" Lee sputtered again.

"When I jumped back in, I tried to hit the brake but only it wasn't the brake, it was the gas and when I went to grab the wheel, I must have turned it instead and the next thing I knew the hoop was crashing in right beside me! I could have been killed!" Dotty exclaimed, holding her hands against her chest.

Lee held his head with both hands, looked at Dotty and asked, "You're sure you're not hurt?"

"No, not even a scratch! Oh, but Lee, your car is…" Dotty said sympathetically.

Amanda put her arm around Lee's waist as he groaned again, "Amanda, my car…"

"Take a deep breath, Sweetheart," Amanda replied. "Just take a deep breath."


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

Dotty was watching the evening news while Amanda finished washing the dinner dishes. "Oh, this is awful," Dotty exclaimed. "Those poor people."

"What's wrong, Mother?" Amanda asked as she entered the living room carrying two steaming mugs of coffee. She sat down on the couch beside her and settled against the pillows.

"Why do I watch the news? It's filled with sad, sad stories all the time. The latest story is about four Senators have been poisoned over the last two weeks and no one can figure out how. I mean, who would do such a thing?" Dotty lamented.

Amanda shook her head and replied, "There are some pretty mean people out there that will do just about anything to prove their point."

"But what did these poor people do? The reporter said they've had to be hospitalized and there are no leads on what poison was used," Dotty recounted the news report.

"Well, we don't have to worry about anything, Mother, because we are not Senators," Amanda tried to cheer her up. Dotty gave her a weak smile, so Amanda added, "Are you sure you're happy with your room? You sure you don't want to paint it?"

Dotty smiled widely, the news report seemingly forgotten as she exclaimed, "Amanda, I've told you, the room is perfect! Some new curtains will make all the difference. I'm so glad I kept a neutral spread for the bed. And the room is much bigger than my room at the Maplewood house. I couldn't ask for anything more."

"Well, I'm glad, Mother. The boys seem happy about having their own space now, although I found Jamie on Philip's bed this afternoon as he was putting things away. This should be interesting," Amanda smiled once more.

"Amanda?" Lee's voice echoed through the house.

"In here!" Amanda called back. She watched Lee enter the kitchen and called out, "There's a plate in the oven for you. I kept it warm."

Lee stopped, sighed and pulled the foil covered warm, heavy dish of meatloaf and baked potato out of the oven. He looked up as Amanda entered the kitchen and asked, "What did Leatherneck say about your car? Can he fix it?"

Lee nodded, "You mean after he stopped laughing? He said yeah, he could fix it. It's going to be a few weeks though, so either we are down to one car during that time or I can borrow one from the motor pool this week." Lee inhaled the delicious aroma of his dinner as he removed the foil and set it aside. "Hmmm, this smells good."

"It was good! And Mom had to hide that plate from Philip before he ate it," Jamie teased as he ran into the kitchen. He stopped at the large refrigerator and pulled open the doors. "Hey Mom, is there any more of that chocolate and raspberry pudding left?" he asked, scanning the shelves.

"There is one for Lee and one more for both you and your brother. Tell you what, he's probably gonna be down here soon looking for some too, so if you promise me you're gonna bring the dishes right back down, you can eat it in his room with him," Amanda said, eliciting a large smile from both Lee and Jamie.

"Thanks, Mom!" he exclaimed as he carefully carried the two small bowls with two spoons back up the steps. Amanda laughed when she heard Philip yell down, "Thanks, Mom!"

"Meatloaf AND chocolate raspberry pudding? How did you manage to pull all that off this afternoon?" Lee asked between bites. He sighed happily as he bit into another piece of the meat.

Amanda got a glass and poured him some milk as she said, "Well, after the tow truck left, the delivery guys felt so bad, they offered to help put the beds together for me. We were their last delivery and they got paid by the hour, so they didn't mind helping out. Plus, I gave them each a twenty dollar tip. So that saved a lot of time, and Mother finished unpacking all the kitchen boxes, I finished the family room downstairs so putting together dinner was a piece of cake."

"Well, thank you. I never thought it would be so nice to come home to find a hot meal waiting for me. I almost picked up a sandwich on my way home," Lee admitted.

Dotty entered the kitchen and placed her now empty coffee mug in the sink before announcing, "I can't watch any more. I'm heading up to take a long hot bath in my own private bathroom! Ahhh, no interruptions, just me and my book and my apricot cinnamon bubble bath!"

Amanda laughed, "You enjoy that, Mother! I appreciate all your help today. The kitchen looks great, it really does."

"Tomorrow we tackle the rest of the living room!" Dotty called as she ascended the steps to her room. Amanda and Lee could hear her humming happily until she closed her bedroom door with a soft click.

Amanda shook her head and still smiling asked, "So what did Billy need that was so important it couldn't wait until Monday?"

Lee replied quietly, "Did you hear about the Senators that have been poisoned?" Amanda nodded in response, her dark brown eyes wide. "Well," he continued, "I've worked with most of these guys in the past, so Billy wanted my take on it. See if I had a fresh insight into how they may be connected."

"But why did you need to head into the office? He couldn't just ask you over the phone?" Amanda replied, annoyed.

"He wasn't sure how much of a secure conversation we could have with everyone around," Lee tried to explain. Amanda folded her arms across her chest in irritation and pressed her lips together tightly. "Hey, I didn't want to leave, but it's our job remember."

Amanda was trying hard to remain calm but inside she was seething. "I know it's our job, but we are also not on the active duty roster until Monday. Today is Saturday. That still leaves us two days to get as much of the house in order, not to mention we still need to go back to the house on Maplewood and clean all the rooms so Joe and Carrie can start moving in."

"I know, I know. Have you talked to Joe yet? Was he in agreement with the buyout amount?" Lee asked as he pulled the pudding out of the refrigerator.

"I did. He said he thought it was too low and wants the bank to do an assessment since the market's gone up from the time we bought it. And as he put it, what's fair is fair. I've paid for everything the last few years, so he thinks he owes me a little more than just half of what we paid for it," Amanda explained. She watched as Lee sank the spoon into the chocolatey confection, his eyes twinkling in anticipation.

Lee slipped the spoon into his mouth and closed his eyes in pure joy. "Don't think you can butter me up with that look," Amanda warned.

He opened his eyes, scooped more pudding onto the spoon, but this time offered it to her with a wink and said, "I promised to make it up to you, didn't I? And this…" Lee pulled the spoon slowly from her lips, "this is just a small token of what might be coming later." He winked at her again, completely lost in the moment until he heard Philip behind him.

"What's coming later? Do we have to finish unpacking more boxes tonight?" Philip groaned. He placed the now empty bowls in the sink, looked at Lee and asked, "Seriously, do we have to unpack more tonight? Jamie and I were going to watch a movie if that's okay. Mom showed us all the ones you had at your apartment and we haven't seen half of them."

Lee exhaled loudly and said, "No, no more unpacking tonight. What movie were you guys thinking of watching? Maybe we can join you…make some popcorn…hang out as a family."

"Jamie!" Philip yelled loudly, causing Amanda to flinch. "Lee wants to know what movie we want to watch!"

"Philip, was that necessary?" Amanda reprimanded him. Jamie bounded down the stairs loudly and ran into the kitchen. "Jamie, what have I told you about running in the house."

Jamie looked confused for a moment then replied, "Well, that was at our old house, so I didn't think it still applied here. I mean, we have a lot more room that nothing's gonna get broken-"

Amanda held her hand up to stop him. "Have you seen Lee's collection of artifacts from around the world?"

Jamie nodded, "Yes, but-" Amanda's hand shot up again.

"And do you think they can easily be replaced if they do get broken because you were running through the house?" she questioned him.

"No, but-" Jamie tried again, and once again Amanda stopped him.

"So, explain to me why you thought you could run in this house, possibly breaking something that doesn't belong to you, that's nearly impossible to replace?" she finished with a firm tone.

Jamie looked at the floor, "I'm sorry, Mom. I'm sorry, Lee. I wasn't thinking. Does this mean I can't watch the movie now?"

Amanda looked at her youngest son, pulled him to her chest for a hug and said, "No, it doesn't mean you have to miss the movie. Now, what movie were you guys thinking of?"

Philip grinned widely as he announced, "The Terminator! I'll be back!"


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

"So, Amanda, are you all unpacked?" Billy greeted her with a smile as he held open his office door. He had seen Lee and Amanda enter the bullpen and managed to get the door open as the hoots and howls and cheers echoed around the room. He couldn't help but join in the applause, much to Lee's embarrassment. Billy waved them into his office, and closed the door behind them, calming the clatter outside.

"Yes, sir, just about. There are still a few more boxes to go and we still need to go back to the house on Maplewood and give it a thorough cleaning before Joe can start moving in," Amanda replied with a smile.

"Joe's moving in?" Billy sounded surprised.

Amanda nodded happily, "Yes, Joe and Carrie are moving in and he plans on buying me out. But this way, the boys will have a room they are familiar with when they stay with him. It's a win-win for everyone."

Billy sat back in his chair and replied, "Well, that's good to hear. You're settling in nicely?" He looked directly at Lee as he asked the question.

"Yes, we are settling in fine. And so far, minus the incident with my car, everything has been pretty smooth I would say," Lee replied pointedly. He settled into the chair across from Billy's desk and asked, "So have you heard anything new?"

Billy folded his hands and looked into the bullpen before looking back at them. "Well, they were able to isolate the poison, finally. It's a combination of Tetrodotoxin, Aflatoxins, and another compound called TM9. They are being inhaled, somehow, and the TM9 speeds up the effect processes in the body. We have yet been able to determine exactly how these toxins are being introduced as they appear to be isolated to just the victims and none of their family members for those that have a family."

"But why?" Lee asked, confused. "Why these senators?"

"That's a good question, Scarecrow, and one I'm sure you'll find the answer to. Your first official assignment as husband and wife is to get to the bottom of this mess before anyone else gets hurt or even worse," Billy commanded.

Amanda nodded enthusiastically, "Yes, sir. I'll start going over research on each of the senators, their comings and goings the last few weeks before they got sick. See if there's any kind of a pattern."

Lee and Amanda stood simultaneously and turned to face the door. "I'll talk to the responding paramedic teams. Maybe they've noticed something. Who was the latest victim?"Lee asked.

"Senator Cooper. Cameron Cooper. Single, lives alone, age thirty-three. He became ill at approximately ten-thirty Friday night. Has an apartment in Georgetown, the address is in the file," Billy relayed as he handed Lee four colored file folders.

"All right, I'll get right on it," Lee stated as they left the room. "Amanda, why don't you take these up to the Q Bureau while I see about getting another car for us down in the motor pool. This way, maybe we can divide and conquer."

"Will do. Anything, in particular, you want me to look for?" Amanda asked as she took the folders from Lee.

"I don't know yet. Start with the usual. Any social interactions they may have had, did they dine at the same restaurants, common friends, that kind of thing," Lee ran his hand through his hair as he thought. "Has anyone publicly admitted to having a grudge over them? Anything out of the ordinary."

"Oh, so you mean, find what you would miss?" Amanda teased as the elevator doors began to open.

Lee smirked and replied, "Very funny. Just see what you can find. I'll be up as soon as I can."

"And where will you be hiding, Scarecrow?" Francine snarked as she came around the corner, only catching the tail-end of their conversation.

"Oh, hello, Francine," Amanda piped up. "I'm heading up to the Q Bureau to do some research if you'd like to join me for a fresh cup of coffee."

"Hmmm, coffee in the Q Bureau over the swill they have down in the bullpen. I think I'm going with the Q Bureau on this one," Francine pretended to ponder the question.

Amanda laughed and added, "Good, because you may enjoy the chocolate chip muffins I made this morning, too."

Francine rolled her eyes and said, "Amanda, if they are half as good as your Christmas cookies, I will never fit into the little number I picked up for my date tomorrow night. Who says Tuesday night dating has to be dull."

"Well you ladies enjoy your coffee and muffins, I'll be down in the motor pool," Lee groaned.

"Oh yes, I heard about your little… incident… over the weekend. Tell me, Scarecrow, were you going for a slam dunk or a lay-up when that happened?" Francine teased, her eyebrows high as she attempted to keep a straight face.

Lee scrunched his face up and commented, "Very funny. I wasn't even driving. I was actually in the shower when the whole thing happened so just save your jokes."

"Oh, I wasn't joking. I mean, it isn't very often you manage to completely destroy the interior upholstery as well as the T top, the hatch glass and the passenger door if I'm not mistaken," Francine rattled off the damage to Lee's car.

"And how did you learn all that?" Lee groaned.

Francine smiled and fingered the edge of the folder she was carrying, "Well, Leatherneck and I were out for drinks Saturday night when he mentioned it. As a matter of fact, he couldn't stop laughing when he was describing the look on your face."

"Yeah, yeah, yeah… well, you can just quit the jokes now. I'll be back as soon as I get another car for us to use. Then Amanda and I can go to the hospital to question Senator Cooper. Maybe he remembers something just before he got sick," Lee explained. He turned and headed back down the hall as Francine and Amanda boarded the elevator. He stopped and turned around once more and added, "Save a muffin for me, will you?" His request was answered with giggles as the door to the elevator closed.

When the doors re-opened to the Georgetown lobby, Amanda immediately said cheerfully, "Good morning, Mrs. Marston!"

Mrs. Marston smiled as she said, "And good morning to you too, Mrs. Stetson. Although I do need to remind you, if you're planning on changing your name officially, you'll need to go through the proper channels. All the paperwork will need to be filled out and brought downstairs to accounting."

Amanda smiled, "Will do, Mrs. Marston. I've already requested it." She climbed the stairs, Francine just a step behind.

"Oh, Miss Desmond?" Mrs. Marston called up to them.

"Yes, Mrs. Marston?" Francine replied looking down over the railing at the top of the stairs.

"Please tell Leatherneck he owes me a coffee roll from the bakery down the street," the older woman stated before turning back to the small screen in front of her.

Francine frowned then asked, "And what makes you think I'll even see Leatherneck today?"

Mrs. Marston chuckled as she said, "You will."

Francine scowled as she walked down the hall to meet Amanda at the door. "What was that all about?" Amanda asked, the frown still discernible on Francine's face.

Francine shook her head, "I have no idea. Do you think I should call Leatherneck and ask him?"

Amanda shrugged her shoulders and replied, "Well, that's up to you but it sounds like you have a message to deliver to him anyway." She tried to hide the smirk on her face when she turned to unlock the door to the Q Bureau.

Amanda dropped the files she was carrying on the desk and crossed the room to pour two cups of coffee for each of them. She opened the small fridge and without asking poured just a small amount of cream in each cup. She handed one to Francine, opened the Tupperware container on Lee's desk to reveal a half dozen muffins. Francine chose one and sat down on the couch across from Amanda's desk.

"Ok, so let's see what we can find out before Lee gets back here, shall we?" Amanda suggested as she sat down at Lee's desk and turned on his computer.


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

"Senator Cooper, are you sure you don't remember anything out of the ordinary before you got sick?" Lee asked, his notebook in hand, the pen suspended above the page.

Young Senator Cooper shook his head, "No, nothing. I was at the office in a meeting for most of the day. Stopped at the gym, then came home, ate leftovers for dinner, took a shower then sat on the couch to watch the game."

"Where did you get the leftovers from?" Amanda asked, trying to find a link somewhere to the other senators.

Senator Cooper gave her a small smile and replied, "My mother. I hate to admit this, but she makes several meals for me each weekend, so I don't have to constantly get takeout. I'm not the best cook if you know what I mean."

Lee smiled and nodded, "I understand that." He immediately settled back into his interrogation mode. "Is there a possibility someone broke in? Did you have any visitors recently? Anyone out of the ordinary?"

Senator Cooper shook his head once more. "No, I mean, the building super had a plumber come up on Thursday because I had been having some problems with the heat in my apartment but that's about it. He checked the thermostat, checked a couple of vents, then left and went into the basement with the super. Later, I got a message saying the problem was fixed. A faulty valve on the boiler they said."

"And you're sure no one else has been in your apartment?" Amanda confirmed.

Senator Cooper shrugged his shoulders one last time and said, "I can't be one hundred percent sure because I'm not home all day, but when I've been home, no, no one else has been there but me."

"Well, thank you, Senator, for your time. I hope you're feeling better soon and we'll do our best to get to the bottom of this," Lee replied as he closed his notebook and tucked it back into his jacket pocket.

He placed his hand on Amanda's elbow to guide her out of the hospital room into the hall. "Well, what do you think?" she asked as they walked past the nurses' station.

Lee grimaced, "I have no ideas on this one. You didn't come up with any link between the four senators at all?"

"Not one. They live in different areas around the city, two are single, two have families but no one else in the family has been poisoned. They are on different committees, don't frequent the same restaurants. They don't even keep the same office hours," Amanda rattled off.

"Well, there has to be something, some tie between them. We'll just have to keep looking," he declared. He held the outside door open for her and as they stepped outside into the sunlight he suggested, "Amanda, why don't we swing by the house, get changed and head over to the house on Maplewood and start cleaning."

"We still have to get the boys. Philip has basketball practice this afternoon and Jamie has photography club," she reminded him. She checked her watch and added, "That doesn't give us much time."

Lee sighed then suggested, "Do you think your mother would mind getting them? Just for today? We could leave your car there."

"I suppose we could ask Mother if she minds. I don't know what her plans are for this afternoon but it's worth a try," Amanda agreed.

"Worst case scenario, one of us has to leave to pick them up," Lee agreed. "I'll meet you there," he stated as Amanda slipped into the driver's seat of the Jeep and he closed her door tightly before climbing into the small sedan he borrowed from the motor pool. "This would be much easier if Dotty just had her own car," he muttered aloud as he backed out of the parking spot and followed Amanda to their house.

Thirty minutes later and after Dotty agreed to pick up the boys from school, Lee and Amanda drove to the house on Maplewood, the back seat of the car filled with the vacuum, a few buckets, several mops and a broom with a dustpan, as well as a small box of cleaning supplies. "Amanda, I'm pretty sure the house isn't that dirty that we need to bring all this with us," Lee lamented.

"I just want to be sure it's as clean as it can be," Amanda explained.

Lee glanced at her as he drove and said, "You mean to tell me, you didn't already clean every room as we were moving things? I could have sworn you were cleaning as we went."

"I was but I wasn't. If we each take a room, sweep and wash the floors, vacuum the rugs, and wash down all the woodwork, Joe won't have to do nearly as much when he moves in," Amanda stated.

"What about the basement?" Lee groaned, almost afraid to ask.

"What about it?" Amanda replied, confused.

"What do you mean, what about it?" Lee asked.

Amanda twisted in her seat and looked at him, "What do you mean, what do I mean?"

"I mean, what about the basement?" Lee asked again.

"What about the basement?" Amanda repeated.

Lee pulled the car over and took a deep breath before he asked, "Are we cleaning the basement like the other rooms?"

Amanda rolled her eyes and shook her head, "Why would we do that? It's just the basement."

Lee laughed as he pulled away from the curb and said, "Oh, Amanda, what am I going to do with you?"

"Clean the house so we can get back and write those reports for Mr. Melrose. We must be missing something," Amanda replied seriously.

"Yeah, definitely," Lee agreed. He pulled into the driveway on Maplewood Avenue and looked around. "You know, I almost miss this place."

Amanda placed her hand on Lee's arm and said, "I know. The boys and I have a lot of memories here. They were brought home from the hospital right to this house, learned to walk here, ride a bike... a lot of wonderful memories."

"The boys are very lucky. I wish I had memories like that," Lee said softly before covering her hand with his. "But this is where I fell in love with you, so I do have some wonderful memories of my own." He leaned forward and brushed his lips against her cheek before he said, "Let's get this show on the road. The faster we get started, the faster we can get this done."

"You said it!" Amanda exclaimed. As soon as Lee exited the car, she wiped away the single tear that threatened to fall after his admission. She climbed out and began unloading the cleaning supplies, handing Lee as much as he could carry.

Two hours later, Amanda descended the stairs, carrying the vacuum as Lee emerged from the basement covered in cobwebs. "I think that just about does…. " Amanda began but stopped as soon as she saw him. "Hang on, let me get that off you." She reached over and pulled a long strand of dusty cobweb off his shoulder and shook it into a nearby trash bag. "There, that's better."

"Thanks. Basement is about as clean as it's going to get. The last place to tackle is the garage," Lee announced.

Amanda shook her head, "Nope, we are done for today. As I was cleaning, I had a few thoughts on this case. Let's go home, shower and maybe we can sit in the office and go over what we know so far about this case."

Lee nodded his head in agreement, "I was thinking about the office as well. Maybe we can have a standing rule at home, much like your cracked bedroom door rule. First and foremost, always knock first on the office door. That way if we are on the phone or we're working, we have privacy. I was thinking about getting a soundproof door too, just to be on the safe side."

"And we should probably have locks on the desk drawers in case we bring any work home," Amanda suggested.

"Absolutely. And last but not least, get a separate telephone number for that phone. Then we can have calls routed there without everyone answering it," Lee stated firmly.

Amanda smiled, gathered up the vacuum hoses and declared, "It sounds like we have some work to do at home then, Mr. Stetson."

Lee smiled, picked up the bucket of cleaning supplies and answered, "After you, Mrs. Stetson."


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

"Scarecrow, I need a full update," Billy implored as the rest of the agents left the room after the Wednesday morning meeting.

Lee nodded, "Will do. Let me just get the file from the Q Bureau and I'll be in your office in about ten minutes?"

Billy held the door for him, "That's fine. Where's Amanda this morning? Everything all right?"

"Yeah, she had to meet Joe to go over the buy-out agreement with his lawyer and then together they were going to go to the bank. I have to say, this whole process is a lot easier than I thought it was going to be," Lee explained.

Billy gave him a small smile, "That's good to hear. You can never tell how stressful selling a house can be, especially when there are ex-husbands or wives involved. I'll expect to see you in my officer sooner, rather than later."

"What? You don't think I'll be back?" Lee teased as he crossed the bullpen.

Billy laughed loudly, drawing the attention of the agents working around them. "Just don't get sidetracked along the way," Billy teased as he entered his office, still laughing.

"What does that mean?" Lee muttered as he headed into the hallway. He was still pondering the question when he stepped into the vacant elevator.

He made it back to Billy's office in record time, just as Billy was finishing his phone conversation. "Yes, Jeannie, I'll be sure to tell him. Yes, I'll stop at the store on my way home. No, I won't forget. I'll be home on time tonight. Okay, love you too."

"Does it ever get old?" Lee asked as Billy placed the receiver down.

"Does what get old?" Billy replied as he lifted his coffee mug and took a sip.

Lee smiled at his friend as he gestured toward the phone, "The questions from Jeannie about when you're going to be home, the constant reminders to do things?"

Billy returned Lee's smile as he said, "Never. It means she cares, so she can tell me the same thing until the cows come home and I'll never get tired of hearing it. So, tell me what you and Amanda have discovered so far."

Lee opened the file folder in his lap and began, "Well, it's not much. I talked to all the responding paramedics and they didn't notice anything out of the ordinary on the scene. They simply responded to a violently ill patient. Transported them to the hospital. Two different hospitals by the way. Amanda and I interviewed all the senators, and honestly, Billy, we can't find a single link between them."

Billy steepled his fingers and thought for a second then said, "Any idea how the poison was introduced?"

"Not a clue," Lee admitted. "We searched their offices for any type of inhalant device but couldn't find anything. I sent a crew over to check out their homes, again nothing. No one has received any unusual packages lately. Heck, I even had a crew go over all their vehicles to see if anything was hidden in there…. nothing. It's like whoever is doing this is a ghost."

"Was Amanda able to find anything about their habits, do any of them frequent the same gym, shop in the same grocery store, have the same barber for crying out loud?" Billy threw his hands in the air.

Lee shook his head, "I don't know what to tell you, Billy. We couldn't find anything. The only information we could come up with was where TM9 was first discovered. Turns out it was at a local private college about fifty miles from here. The chemistry department discovered it by accident and the Army promptly snatched up the idea."

"Any of the senators have ties to that college?" Billy leaned forward on his seat, hoping this new piece of evidence might be a solid clue.

"No, not that we can find. No spouses either," Lee shook his head as he closed the file folder.

"Well keep looking. There has to be something out there, some reason these people were targeted," Billy instructed. He was interrupted by a knock on his office door, "Come in."

"Sir, there is an agent here wishing to speak with you. He said his name is Edwards, Tom Edwards," the agent at his door explained.

"Send Mr. Edwards right in." Billy looked at Lee with a raised eyebrow as Tom Edwards limped into his office on a cane. "Edwards! Nice to see you up and around. How's the hip feeling?"

"Good, sir. Healing slowly but healing. I was just heading down for another meeting with Dr. Pfaff, but I wanted to give you the medical update from Dr. McJohn. He said he would approve me to come back for a few hours a day, desk work only starting next week," Tom explained. He looked at Lee and replied, "Hello, Mr. Stetson. Congratulations, I heard you and Mrs. King…. I mean, Amanda, had a beautiful wedding."

"Thanks, Edwards. It was a good time," Lee replied. He was still slightly uncomfortable around the young agent that had tried to kiss Amanda on several occasions during a recent case. During the investigation Edwards had taken a bullet to his hip, fracturing the bones and their main suspect was shot and killed. "How are your sessions with Dr. Pfaff working out? Is he sharing his ice cream?" Lee asked in a teasing tone.

Edwards laughed and replied, "Not with me, but he seems to share with Charlie whenever Lauren has to bring him."

"Lauren? Have you been seeing much of her?" Lee asked, surprised. Lauren Proctor was Harry V. Thornton's daughter and he and Amanda had been sent to find her for Harry. It was because of that investigation he and Amanda had finally gotten married publicly.

Edwards looked away, his face turning pink immediately. "Well, we've taken Charlie to the park a few times. And to make things easy for her, we started scheduling our appointments back to back, so I keep an eye on the little guy and she gets to talk privately. He's getting so big. He just started sitting up by himself," Edwards rambled.

Billy smiled and replied, "Sounds like you and Lauren have become friends. A good situation for the two of you, I'm sure."

"Yeah, I guess we have. She just found an apartment and will be moving all her stuff up here next week. I told her I'd do what I could to help," Tom stated. "Well, I should be going. I have physical therapy in an hour and don't want to be late."

"No, you need to do what the therapists tell you…all of them," Lee informed him.

"And I'll have you set up with a desk out here next week. There's plenty of work to be done," Billy stood and held the door open for him.

Edwards slowly left the room but not before saying, "Thank you, Sir. And thank you, Mr. Stetson."

Lee let out a low whistle as they watched Edwards limp across the bullpen. "That's a big change for him. I'm glad to see both he and Lauren are getting the support they need."

"And who would have thought you and Amanda would be the reason for it!" Billy exclaimed with a clap on Lee's shoulder.


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6**

Amanda placed the silverware on the table as she checked her watch again. Beef Wellington was in the oven on low with the baked potatoes wrapped in foil. The bottle of red wine was open and breathing on the table, dessert chilling in the oven. She sighed happily as she looked over the table. Joe had asked to take the boys for the night to celebrate after they returned from the bank. Dotty announced she and Curt were taking a quick flight to Pittsburgh to pick up some repair parts and she wouldn't be home until the next morning. She punctuated her explanation with a wink as she ran out the door, carrying a small overnight bag.

Amanda was lost in thought when Lee quietly snuck up behind her and wrapped his arms around her waist. She yelped in surprise, spun around and exhaled loudly. "Lee!" she admonished him, "Don't do that!"

"What? Did you forget how I used to greet you by the window?" he teased, linking his hands together behind her back.

Amanda rested her hands on his chest, "No, I didn't forget. As a matter of fact, I was thinking about that when we were cleaning the other day." She leaned forward and brushed her lips against his.

"Dinner smells delicious. Where is everyone?" Lee kissed her back.

"Mother is flying with Captain Curt tonight and Joe asked to take the boys for the night. I'm not sure who was more excited, him or the boys," Amanda explained.

"Really? What prompted that?" Lee tilted his head in surprise.

Amanda pushed up on her tiptoes, kissed him again and said, "We had a good day at the bank. The closing should go through by the end of the week and he and Carrie can start moving in anytime they want. He wanted to celebrate with the boys tonight. To be honest, I think he's trying to butter them up, so they'll help him move."

Lee looked around and saw the table set, the wine bottle on the counter and inhaled again. "Beef Wellington, wine…why Mrs. Stetson, I'd say you've set the scene of seduction for this evening." He leaned down and peppered a few kisses along the column of her neck as she pressed her body closer to his.

"Maybe," she teased. "Or maybe I just wanted to celebrate a successful move and transition into the new house, new routines."

Lee chuckled, "Well, I wouldn't say it's been successful just yet. I mean it's only been what… ten days. The boys have been late for school twice thanks to me."

Amanda closed her eyes, shook her head and whispered, "That explains the phone call."

"What are you talking about? The phone call…" Lee questioned her. He had no idea what she was talking about.

Amanda took a deep breath and said, "I got a phone call from Jamie's teacher asking me if everything was all right at home. He said Jamie was late and seemed a bit out of sorts. I explained to him we just got married and moved and well, I think maybe we need to sit down with the boys tomorrow night."

Lee released Amanda and stepped back. He nervously ran his hand through his hair as he said, "You think this is all too much for them? Did we move too soon?"

Amanda put her hand on his forearm to stop his nervous movement. "Move too soon, no I don't think so. I think it's just a transition we have to get through, that's all. Now, stop worrying. Dinner is just about ready, and I want to hear about your day," she said soothingly.

Lee kissed her lightly one more time then moved to the sink to wash his hands. He got two wine glasses from the cabinet and poured each of them a glass as Amanda started to take their dinner out of the oven. Taking a sip, he hummed happily as the bold liquid danced across his tongue. "Well, you didn't miss anything at the meeting. Just the usual, who just arrived in the country, who's been deported, who's on the newest watch list. Billy asked me to give him an update on what we know so far on this case." He stopped talking long enough to help Amanda carry their wine glasses to the table. He held her chair for her as she sat down before finding his own. "Amanda, dinner looks… this is perfect," he declared. He sliced into the steaming Beef Wellington and took his first bite he sighed happily. "I don't know what I've done to deserve you."

Amanda leaned close to him and kissed him again as she said, "And what have I done to deserve you." They finished dinner between kisses and feeding each other, the teasing continued even as they cleared the table and Lee loaded the dishwasher as Amanda packed up their leftovers and put everything in the fridge. When the last dish was loaded, Lee trapped Amanda against the kitchen island and kissed her sensually. Amanda melted against his lean frame and he scooped her up into his arms. Amanda wrapped her legs around his waist, kissing his neck fervently, allowing him to carry her toward the stairs. Before Lee could begin the climb, she dropped to her feet and taking his hand, pulled him gently to follow her. Their bedspread was already turned down, the dim lamp beside the bed on, soft music playing.

"My, my, my, Mrs. Stetson. You really planned this, didn't you," Lee teased between kisses as he gently tugged her shirt out of her jeans. Amanda didn't reply, she simply mimicked his actions, pulling his dress shirt from his khaki's. She unbuttoned his shirt with nimble fingers as he attempted to unbutton her jeans.

"Having a little problem, Mr. Stetson?" Amanda whispered huskily, pushing the starched material off his shoulders.

Lee laughed deeply, "If you'd stop moving it would make things much easier. What's gotten into you?" He finally managed to slip the button through the hole and push the zipper on her jeans down as Amanda's lips found his collarbone. Groaning loudly, Lee pushed her jeans over her hips to puddle at the floor at her feet. He gripped her satin clad bottom tightly as he moaned again, "Manda."

Amanda was busy removing his clothes, not caring if anything landed in a wrinkled pile. As soon as his pants were in a puddle similar to her own, she slipped her hand into the waistband of his boxer shorts. She wrapped her hand around his hardness, drawing a sharp inhale as Lee instinctively dropped his head back. "Manda, what's going on?" he groaned again. He took a step back to give them space, his chest heaving.

Amanda smiled, bit her bottom lip and gently pushed him onto the bed as she shook her head and whispered loudly, "Nothing if you keep talking." She straddled his legs and covered his muscled chest with wet kisses. Finally, Lee grasped her shoulders and flipped her onto her back. He teased her remaining undergarments off with nipping kisses and his teeth, quickly covering her body with his own. He was poised at her entrance when she wrapped her legs around him once more. "What are you waiting for?" she panted in anticipation, her brown eyes almost black with desire.

"I love you," he stated softly before plunging into her hot, wet passage. Minutes later, Amanda cried out sharply as he quickly brought her to the brink of pleasure. He pushed her higher as he continued his onslaught of strokes combined with loving words. Her body tightened around him, her hands clinging to him as she exploded in his arms seconds before he flooded her core, their hearts hammering, gasping. Rolling to his side, he started to tease, "Well, if this is what a Wednesday night can look like…" but the loud shrill of the phone ringing beside the bed effectively cut him off.

Reaching over, Lee grabbed the receiver, dropped it then using the cord, scrambled to pull it up onto the bed. "Hello?" he exhaled loudly.

"Scarecrow!" Billy's voice barked through the phone. "We have another senator that's on his way to General. Get to his home, see what you can find."

Lee groaned loudly as he shifted onto his side, "Ok, Billy, we're on our way. What's the address?" He jotted down the location and looked over his shoulder at Amanda, now laying on her back, her arm slung over her eyes. "We'll be there in about an hour."

"An hour? What do you mean an hour?" Billy shouted into the phone.

Lee closed his eyes, willing his heart rate to slow down as he exhaled slowly, "We'll get there as soon as we can. We're just finishing up dessert."

"I don't give a damn about your dessert, Scarecrow. Just get down there," Billy barked once more. Lee could hear him muttering, "Damn dessert, what the hell is this world coming to?" as Billy hung up the phone.

Lee dropped the phone onto the cradle and rolled back over to face Amanda. "We have to go to work. Another senator was poisoned."

Amanda opened her eyes and replied, "Well, his timing couldn't have been any better. A few minutes before…" she trailed off as she shook her head.

Lee chuckled, "A few minutes before and I wouldn't have answered the phone. Don't worry about that. Go, take a quick shower. I'll get some coffee made. This could be a long night."


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7**

Lee and Amanda stood in the middle of the living room of Senator Curry, talking to his wife as agents swept the room around them. "Mrs. Curry, you didn't notice anything out of the ordinary before your husband got sick?"

Mrs. Curry twisted the dishtowel she was holding nervously as she replied, "No, John and I ate dinner, then he went up to take a shower. He came back down about thirty minutes later and the next thing I knew he was violently ill, his whole body was sh-sh-shaking… and he…." She burst into tears, the memories flooding back.

Amanda stepped to the woman and rubbed her back as she said, "He's going to be ok. He'll be pretty sick for a few days but he's going to be all right. We'll find out who did this to him, we promise."

"Why would anyone want to hurt my Johnny?" she cried again.

Amanda continued to rub her back as she looked at Lee. "Mrs. Curry, you said your husband took a shower. Did he use anything new… shampoo, soap, shaving cream… anything?" Lee asked, grasping for any kind of idea.

Mrs. Curry wiped her eyes as she thought, "He did use a new bottle of cologne. It's his favorite kind and we have to order it. He got the delivery today."

Amanda's eyes widened as she and Lee made eye contact. "Do you have the packaging it came in?" Amanda asked.

Mrs. Curry nodded and left the room. She returned a few minutes later carrying the bottle of cologne, the packaging, and a small brown shipping box. "This is all of it. Except for the plastic wrapping. I'm not sure where Johnny threw that." She started to hand everything to Lee who immediately put his hands up.

"Carson, bag these up, have everything checked for fingerprints and have that liquid tested immediately. It may be a long shot but right now it's the only thing we've got," Lee instructed a nearby agent. Wearing gloves, the agent dropped everything into a large brown shopping bag and left the house. Lee turned back to Mrs. Curry and asked, "Can we give you a ride to the hospital?"

"No, thank you. I'll need my car to get home," Mrs. Curry shook her head sadly.

"Are you sure? We can have someone follow you if you'd like, make sure you get there safely," Amanda offered.

Mrs. Curry looked up at Amanda and smiled weakly, "That might be a good idea. I'm a little shaky…"

"Tell you what, why don't we have one of the agents drive you and your car over. That way you don't have to drive and you'll have your car for later when you need it," Amanda suggested. Mrs. Curry's sigh of relief was both audible and visible. She relaxed just a little bit as she got her coat and slipped it on. "Agent Christo will drive you there, no worries. Just take care of yourself, Lee and I will lock up before we leave."

"You are a Godsend," Mrs. Curry replied before Agent Christo escorted her to her car.

Lee looked around and said, "I think we should check out that bathroom, see if there's anything else we can find. If that was the last room he was in before he got sick, then there must be something there."

"Unless you're right about that cologne but how could anyone tamper with it?" Amanda questioned as she followed Lee up the stairs.

They easily found the small bathroom at the end of the hallway beside the master bedroom. Lee looked around the room, leaned the small wastebasket toward him using the pen and let it fall back. "Nothing here. Let's hope the lab has more answers for us."

"Then it looks like we are heading to the office," Amanda declared. "If everyone downstairs is all set, we can lock up, just like I promised."

Lee descended the stairs and announced, "If you guys are all set, I think we can wrap this up." Several minutes later, the last agent left, Amanda and Lee checked all the doors to be sure they were locked and were soon on their way to the Agency. They met up with a very agitated Billy in the bullpen.

"Status report, NOW!" Billy commanded angrily.

"Well, sir, we didn't find much of anything. We did have a new bottle of cologne, the box and the packaging was sent to the lab but other than that, there was nothing out of the ordinary," Amanda explained softly hoping she could calm him with a softer tone.

"That's it?" Billy erupted again. "We had agents there for almost three hours and all you came up with was a bottle of cologne? Or maybe you didn't look hard enough. Too worried about finishing your dessert?"

Lee stepped forward and pointed at his boss, "Now wait one minute! We scoured that place as best as we could, based on the evidence that was given to us. Mrs. Curry stated she and her husband ate dinner, he went up to shower then thirty minutes later became violently ill. The only thing new was that bottle of cologne that we are now waiting on the lab results for, so don't tell me we didn't do our jobs!"

Billy ground his teeth together, his jaw muscles working furiously as the muscle in Lee's cheek twitched wildly. The two men just stared at each other, their eyes wide, bodies tense. It was Amanda who broke the tension as she said, "Sir, there was nothing else to find. We have the packaging and the cologne in the lab. Let's see what they come up with before you decide if we did our jobs or not."

Billy blinked several times before he broke his gaze and settled on Amanda. "You're right. Let's wait and see what the lab has to say. I'm sorry. I was out of line," he muttered.

Lee softened almost immediately, "I shouldn't have lost my temper either, Billy, I'm sorry, too." He stuck his hand out in a gesture of forgiveness, Billy gripping it tightly.

"This case has me on edge. Why these men and women? Why would anyone want to hurt _them_ specifically?" Billy grumbled.

"I don't know, Sir, but hopefully we will get some answers tonight," Amanda replied, smiling warmly at Billy. "Why don't I make some coffee while we wait?"

"That sounds like a good idea, Amanda, then we can meet in my office. There must be something we are missing," Billy agreed before walking across the bullpen and unlocking his office door.

Lee looked at Amanda and said, "I'm just going to run down to the lab, see if I can speed things up a bit. See if you can get Billy to calm down a little." He reached out for her hand, squeezed it gently before releasing it and heading out into the hall.

Amanda sighed as she watched Lee disappear down the long corridor before she turned to the coffee maker in the corner. She waited until the pot began brewing before knocking on Billy's office door. She heard a muffled, "Enter," and slowly pushed the door open. "Sir, the coffee should be ready in a few minutes," she said with a smile, hoping it would help ease Billy.

"Thank you, Amanda, and again, I'm sorry I snapped at you both," he apologized. "How are things in the new house?" Billy sat back in this chair, ran a hand across the top of his head before allowing it to drop in his lap.

"Sir, you looked exhausted. Are you sure you don't want to go home and get some rest?" Amanda commented. "Lee and I can handle the lab results and I'm not sure what else we can do tonight."

Billy looked up at Amanda and said, "You're right. There isn't much else we can do tonight. It's already…" he paused to look at his watch before continuing, "it's already after midnight. I should be home in bed. You and Lee should be home with your family." He immediately began chuckling, confusing Amanda.

"Sir?" she asked, her brow furrowed, trying to figure out why he was laughing.

Billy laughed loudly for a few minutes before he got himself under control enough to say, "I still can't get over Scarecrow married with a family. I've been reminding myself this for the last few weeks and it still makes me laugh every time."

Amanda relaxed, smiling at Billy's amusement. "Well, sir, I have to admit, I wasn't sure it would ever happen either but Lee's really stepped up. He may not get the boys to school on time every day but he's been great about helping them with homework, making dinner, and the other night he was even outside shooting hoops with the boys, well, before my mother destroyed the hoop and Lee's car."

Billy began laughing even louder at the mention of Lee's car. Lee opened the door slowly, hearing the jovial sounds of his friend drifting into the empty bullpen. Billy took one look at Lee and started laughing even louder. Amanda found it hard to keep a straight face as tears began sliding down Billy's face and he started to cough to catch his breath.

"Amanda? What's wrong with…" Lee began to ask when Billy choked out the words, "Basketball hoop" and began laughing anew. Lee scowled when he realized why Billy was beside himself.

"Sweetheart, I think Billy's overtired and needs some rest. Did the lab results come back?" Amanda stated softly.

Lee looked down at the folder in his hand and shook his head, "Yeah, it's a match to our poison only combined with the senator's cologne. There were no useable fingerprints on the bottle other than the senator's, although they did find a few nicks around the neck of the bottle top. They're checking the packaging but that's a long shot. It was delivered by postal mail so who knows how many people handled that box."

Billy finally got himself under control and nodded, "Well, at least it's a place to start. We now know HOW the senator was exposed. Check with the other ones in the morning, see if there's a connection there."

"Yes, Sir. Anything else you can think of?" Amanda asked with a sharp nod.

"Just one, Amanda," Billy pushed himself out of his seat. "Go home. Enjoy what's left of your evening. I'm sorry I had to drag you both away for the evening."

"That's okay, Billy. It was just Amanda and me enjoying a quiet dinner. The boys are with Joe and Dotty took off for the night," Lee stated, accepting his apology.

Billy smiled once more and said, "Well then, go home and enjoy your dessert. I'm going to get some rest and tomorrow, hopefully, we can make some headway on this case."

Lee grinned as he said, "Thanks, Billy. How about we walk you out?"


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8**

"Okay, let's go over this again," Lee groaned, staring at the whiteboard against the wall.

Amanda toyed with the marker in her hand as she pointed, "Two of the senators were poisoned by a new bottle of cologne or perfume. We have that confirmed. No one else in their family was exposed."

"Right, we found the bottle of perfume that poisoned Senator Christie where her husband said it would be. Now what about the others?" Lee asked with a heavy sigh.

Amanda pointed to the other names on the list, "Well, we know Cooper was home alone and he confirmed he doesn't use cologne. Senator Harrison's wife and family were away when he was poisoned and he stated he had an appointment with the heating and air conditioning company to clean his vents. He was taking a nap in his living room when he woke up and got sick."

Lee shook his head, waved the folder in his hand and sighed, "So that just leaves Senator Montgomery."

"Senator Montgomery stated she had some work done on her home the day before. She said she woke up in the middle of the night when she got sick," Amanda read from another file. She wrote on the right side of the whiteboard. "And from what I can see, the only pattern is the time span. If we take into consideration, Senator Montgomery got sick in the early morning, it appears there is a three day span between each poisoning."

Lee stood and looked at the dates Amanda carefully wrote down beside each name. "Okay, so that's the first key we have to a pattern but we still don't know how Cooper, Harrison and Montgomery were poisoned. And we still don't have any leads as to who might be behind this," Lee reasoned.

Amanda crossed her arms and leaned on the edge of her desk. She read the notes on the board over again as she thought. "What about that chemical… TM9? What do we know about it?" she asked.

"Not much," Lee admitted. Standing quickly, he said, "Hey, we have time. Let's take a ride up to Milton-Guild College where it was developed. It's only been a few years, someone's bound to still work there that knows what happened."

"You think it will help?" Amanda asked as she stood and pulled her jacket on.

"Well, it can't hurt. And on the way, we can talk out more ideas of how the poison is being introduced," Lee held the door open for Amanda as she stepped into the hall.

An hour later, Lee pulled up to the gate of the very prestigious Milton-Guild College. He pulled his badge out of his jacket and explained to the security officer at the gate he needed to speak with the director in the Chemistry department. The officer waved him through after giving him directions to the Chemistry building. Once they parked the Wagoneer, Lee and Amanda walked hand in hand into the brick building before them. With some difficulty, they found the Department Head's office where a student directed them down the hall to the lab.

A portly professor, dressed in a white lab coat, was sitting behind a desk in the corner of the science lab, grading papers. He took his reading glasses off when he heard Lee's gentle knock on the door, "Excuse me, Professor. We are looking for Dr. Durgan?"

"I'm Dr. Durgan, what can I do for you, folks?" the professor stood and met them near the center of the lab.

"I'm Lee Stetson and this is my partner, Amanda Stetson," Lee began. He didn't miss the professor's immediate reaction to Amanda's name. The professor raised an eyebrow and glanced in Amanda's direction before returning Lee's gaze. "We're here to find out more about a chemical that was discovered here a few years ago. TM9?"

Dr. Durgan folded his arms and relaxed against a nearby lab table. "What about it? The Army snatched up most of our research on it almost immediately," he stated with a shrug of his shoulder.

"Sir, can you tell us how you discovered it? And what does it do?" Amanda asked curiously.

"Well, little lady, we discovered it by accident. TM9 takes any inhalable toxin and attaches itself to it to create a new compound, allowing the toxin to linger in the air longer. Then, once inhaled, TM9 would activate the body's natural triggers, magnifying the intensity of the toxin. You can understand why the Army wanted their hands on this little gem," he explained.

Lee pulled out a small notebook and jotted down what the professor just told him. He pointed at him with his pen and asked, "Why do you say you discovered it by accident?"

"It was accidental when we inadvertently poisoned every student in the classroom for the next three hours. It was accidental when the air filtration system kicked on the second time Professor Harborne created the substance, trying to recreate what he did the first time, and he poisoned the crew that came in to clean it." Professor Durgan pushed himself off the table, took two steps toward Lee before he stated, "And it was completely accidental when he realized what he had done and managed to poison me."

"Oh!" Amanda exclaimed, her eyes open wide. She looked at the professor warily. "Is Professor Harborne here? Can we speak with him?"

"Unfortunately, Professor Harborne no longer works for this institution. He was let go last year when those bozo's in the Senate voted against state funding for Milton-Guild," Dr. Durgan announced.

Amanda's head snapped in Lee's direction at the mention of the Senate. "Did Professor Harborne show any hatred toward anyone? What I mean is, was he a violent man?" Lee asked quickly.

"Marty? Nah, Marty was a little off sometimes but he wasn't mean spirited. You should have seen how upset he was when the accidents went down," Dr. Durgan assured them.

"Have you seen him recently?" Amanda asked, her mind whirring.

Dr. Durgan shook his head, "No, not in the last month or so. Marty's been having a tough time since he got let go. He couldn't find a job at any other university nearby because of what happened here, even though he's brilliant. I tried to put in a good word with everyone I knew but, you know how that goes."

Lee nodded and with a knowing glance in Amanda's direction, offered his card to Dr. Durgan as he said, "Thank you for your time, Dr. Durgan. If you hear from Professor Harborne, would you give us a call, please? We'd really like to talk to him."

"Will do, Mr. Stetson," the professor replied. "Here, I'll show you the easiest stairwell to get outside from here. It can get confusing if you're not sure where you're going." He walked them into the hall and pointed to a door nearby, "If you follow that one down two levels, there's an outside door that will take you to the parking lot. I wish I could help you folks more but unfortunately all the research is gone as is Marty."

"If you think of anything or hear from Marty, please, give us a call. Our office number is on that card," Amanda stated as she touched his arm. Lee nodded once more then placed his hand on Amanda's lower back to guide her into the stairwell.

"Well, I think our next move is to find Marty Harborne. If he recreated it several times, who's to say he can't do it again," Lee announced as they descended the stairs. He pushed the outside door open and stepped into the sunlight, blinking rapidly to adjust his eyes. He looked at his watch and said, "We need to get on the road if we're going to make it back to pick up the boys. Joe did say he couldn't take them tonight, right?"

"Yes, he and Carrie had plans with her parents tonight. He wanted to take them but her mother isn't doing so well. Carrie mentioned she was worried about her health," Amanda replied sadly.

Lee put his arm around her waist and tucked her close to his side, "Hey, I'm sure it's nothing. Carrie mentioned they just changed her medication so maybe that's all it is. You know, side effects or something. Tell you what, why don't we take the boys out to dinner tonight?"

Amanda sighed but smiled as she said, "Why don't we order pizza and have a family game night. After the boys have finished their homework that is. We haven't done that since we've moved into the new house."

Lee kissed her temple and replied, "That sounds like the perfect night in to me." He opened her car door and before she slipped her hand from his, he brushed his lips against her fingers. He jogged around to the driver's side and got in, immediately reaching for her hand.

They drove directly to Philip's school and arrived just minutes before the bell rang. Philip sauntered outside, talking to several classmates as he crossed the lawn to where they were parked. "Hey, Mom, do we have plans for Halloween this year?" he asked as he climbed into the backseat.

Amanda furrowed her brow as she thought of all the years of Halloween parties and trick or treating nights in their old neighborhood. "Gee, sweetheart, I'm not really sure. What brought that up?"

"Um," Philip prevaricated, "Some of the kids are getting together that night…you know, just to hang out…and they invited me. But Jamie can't go, they said no little kids."

Lee chuckled as he steered the Wagoneer away from the curb, "I wouldn't exactly call Jamie a little kid. He's almost as tall as you. But let me guess, it's a party right?"

Philip immediately lifted his thumb to his mouth and began chewing on the rough nail edge without answering.

"Philip?" Amanda twisted around in her seat to look at her eldest son. "I believe Lee asked you a question."

"It's not really a party. I mean, there's just gonna be some of us hanging out, that's all. And Gracie's mother is going to be home the entire time," Philip rushed out.

"Uh-huh. And do you need a costume for this non-party party?" Amanda teased.

Lee pulled the car over in front of Jamie's school and looked at Philip in the rearview mirror. "Mom, it's not a party. We're just gonna hang out, probably play some video games or something," he insisted.

Lee was going to comment but Jamie arrived at the car and interrupted everyone. "Mom! Lee! I just found out that the portfolio I made for photography club was entered into a competition! And guess what? I get to go to Arlington Arts Center where everything will be on display and people that go there get to be the judges!" he shouted as he tossed his backpack onto the seat and climbed in.

"Wow, congratulations, Jamie, that's quite and accomplishment," Amanda smiled.

"Yeah, good job, Chief. So let's say we celebrate tonight with pizza and game night," Lee suggested, stealing Amanda's earlier idea.

"As long as I get to choose the pizza, you're on!" Jamie exclaimed. He looked over at Philip, still gnawing on his thumbnail. "What's wrong with you?"

"Nothing," Philip groaned as he sunk down in his seat and stared out of the window.

"Hey, I heard from Gracie's sister, Ashley, that she was having some kids over on Halloween. Too bad, too. This should be the best year ever for trick or treating," Jamie stated.

Philip rolled his eyes at Jamie and asked, "What makes you say that?"

"Because we don't need Mom or Grandma or anyone else following us around! Mom said it last year that we could go all by ourselves this year," Jamie reminded him.

Philip pushed himself back up and nodded, "Yeah, that's right. Mom did say that. So instead of going to Gracie's can we invite a few friends to come with us?" Philip leaned his chin onto the front seat, waiting for a response.

"We'll talk about this later, after dinner," Amanda decided.


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter 9**

Lee pushed his chair away from the table, tossed his hands in the air and groaned, "That's it…I forfeit."

"Aw, Sweetheart, don't you want to play one more round?" Amanda asked as she shuffled the cards once more.

Lee looked down at the score sheet beside him and said, "I'm losing by almost a hundred points. There's no way I'm gonna catch up. Besides, when you said you guys wanted to play gin rummy, I didn't think it was going to get high stakes."

Jamie laughed loudly and jabbed his elbow into Philip's ribs. "I bet Mom forgot to tell him Grandma was the one who taught us to play and we've been playing since we could hold cards ourselves," he teased.

"Ha ha, very funny," Lee joked. "And where did you learn to play, Dotty, Vegas?"

"You know, as a matter of fact, Lee, I learned back in Topeka. We used to play in the storm cellars during tornado season. Sometimes we'd be down there for hours, just waiting," Dotty explained as she winked at her grandsons. "But it's getting late, and I have an early morning flying lesson with Curt, so I think I'm going to turn in."

"Goodnight, Mother," Amanda replied as she tilted her head.

Dotty leaned down and kissed her cheek and said, "Goodnight, Darling. Don't stay up too late." She ruffled Jamie and Philip's hair as she walked by before pausing in the doorway. "Goodnight, Lee," she called back softly with a smile then headed up the stairs to her room.

Philip stifled a yawn and looked at Jamie then said, "I don't know about Junior here, but I'm tired too. I think I'm going to head up. But before I do, did you think about what I asked earlier, Mom? Can we invite a few friends to the house and trick or treat together?"

Lee looked at Amanda and without waiting for her reply, said, "I think that's a great idea. Your friends haven't seen the house yet, so I don't see why not. And since it's a Saturday night, why doesn't everyone just spend the night here."

Philip jumped up excitedly and gave Lee a quick hug before he said, "Thanks, Lee! I can't wait to tell the guys!" He grabbed Jamie by the arm and quickly dragged him toward the stairs.

"Hey…let go..." Jamie sputtered but something about the look on Philip's face made him stop talking immediately. He followed Philip to his room and all Amanda and Lee heard was the quiet click of the door.

"What just happened?" Lee asked Amanda, completely confused.

Amanda shook her head as she slipped the cards into the box and said, "I'm not sure. I think, somehow, you just told the boys they could have a party of their own."

"A party? I didn't tell them they could have a party. I said they could invite a few friends over to spend the night," Lee clarified.

Amanda laughed, patted Lee on the arm and confirmed, "In teenage language, that's a party. On the way to school tomorrow we will set down the rule on exactly how many friends they can each invite and you have to be here to help supervise."

Lee shook his head and cleared away the drink glasses left on the table, "Why do I have to be here? I'm usually on the Duty Roster for Halloween."

"Not this year. You have a family now and since you do, Mr. Melrose has made a point to give you holidays off this year," Amanda announced.

"Well, isn't that convenient. And who gave Billy that idea, huh?" Lee folded his arms across his chest and leaned against the counter. Amanda raised her shoulders and shook her head as if to imply she had no idea what he was talking about. Lee narrowed his eyes at her and stated, "Don't even try to play that with me. You were behind that little trick, aren't you?"

Amanda put her hand on Lee's chest and said quietly, "He asked me if we were still unpacking and I said yes. I can't help it if he thought you needed more time off to help with that."

Lee captured her hand under his as he stopped her from moving away. "Well, I guess, Mrs. Stetson, you're going to have to help me Saturday night because I don't know the first thing about a kid's sleepover party, never mind what they actually do on Halloween."

"You mean you never dressed up and went trick or treating?" Amanda asked, surprised.

"Amanda, I lived on base, remember. There weren't too many kids around, so Halloween was like any other day to me. And living in the apartment and working, I've never even had a trick or treater stop by."

"Not one?" she asked.

"Not one. So, what do we need to do to make this a great first Halloween for the boys in our new house, in a new neighborhood with me new to the family?" Lee grinned, his dimples deep.

Amanda looked into his hazel eyes and asked, "You're sure you really want to do this?"

Lee put his arms around her lightly and nodded, "I'm sure."

"You know I was only teasing. I would never expect you to take on a bunch of teenage boys on your own," Amanda hugged him back.

"No, no I want to do this. It was my idea and I should learn what it's all about, right?" Lee confirmed with a small squeeze of his arms, now slung low around her waist.

Amanda giggled as she replied, "You may regret this decision later, you know. But if you really want to do it, then the first thing you need to do is create a shopping list."

Lee puckered his lips and nodded his head, "Shopping list, got it. And what types of things are we putting on the shopping list?"

"Well, it depends. We can order pizza when they get back and have chips and soda and cookies," she began.

"Oh, all the stuff you told me I shouldn't buy the boys," Lee inserted with a grin.

"Exactly," Amanda agreed then continued, "Or you could make finger snacks for them… you know, cut up veggies, pigs in a blanket, mozzarella sticks with marinara."

"What about a firepit in the backyard and s'mores?" Lee suggested.

Amanda tipped her head to the side and asked, "Let me guess, you've never actually had a s'more either, have you?"

"No, I've had one before, but I didn't actually make it. Barney made me one over the open flame of the stove once. I'm not sure how it's supposed to taste but I don't think charcoal black was right," Lee admitted with a laugh.

"A firepit it is. Then that means you have to get an area ready for that. You know, dig a hole, fill it with sand, and gravel first, then stack some rocks over that. Then you'll also need to build a brick wall around the hole so it doesn't spread and burn the grass," Amanda explained.

Lee grimaced, then took a deep breath. "I wonder if Leatherneck knows how to make that?" he suggested.

Amanda laughed and replied, "I'm sure he does. And I'm sure he'll love to see the house, too. Why don't you talk to him tomorrow and if he can do it, invite him over Saturday afternoon? He can stay for dinner."

"All right then, I'll ask Leatherneck first thing tomorrow morning. Anything else I should know?" Lee agreed.

"That's just the beginning. You decide the menu, I'll make the list after we find out from the boys who's coming," Amanda declared. She looked around and noticed the dirty dish towel on the counter and added, "I'm going to get a load of wash started before bed. You lock up and I'll meet you up there." She pushed up onto her toes and kissed his cheek before she grabbed the towel and headed down the steps to the laundry room.

Lee looked around, checked the front door and the garage door before heading up the stairs. He heard the distinct sound of Philip's door closing again. Instead of continuing up, he walked down the hall and gently rapped on the door. "Come on in," Philip called out.

Lee pushed the door open slowly and found Jamie sitting at Philip's desk, rolling a soccer ball in his hands and Philip lounging on his bed. "Hey, fellas, it's getting late and tomorrow is a school day. A few more minutes and wrap it up, okay?"

"Thanks, Lee. We were just talking about Halloween and if you and Mom don't want to entertain, we understand," Philip replied.

Lee leaned against the door frame and folded his arms as he said, "Actually your mom and I were just talking about the same thing and we agreed it's a good idea. I'm going to see if Leatherneck can help me build a firepit out back and you guys can make s'mores. Have a spot to hang out."

Jamie's face lit up at the mention of the word s'mores. "Really? You'd do that for us?" he asked excitedly.

"I'm gonna try. I've never made a firepit before, but I'm sure if it's not too hard we can get it done. Maybe you guys could help out, too," Lee suggested.

Philip nodded enthusiastically, "Yeah, we can do that. I don't have a game this weekend and I think Jamie's free, too. Just tell us what you need us to do!"

Lee smiled at his stepsons and their excited response, "Well, I'll see if Leatherneck can help us, too and we'll go from there." Lee heard Amanda on the stairs and added quietly, "Lights out in a few minutes." He closed the door and took the remaining stairs to their bedroom two by two. Amanda was brushing her teeth by the time he closed the door behind him.

"The boys all set for bed?" she asked around the toothbrush in her mouth.

"Just about. They're excited to help with the firepit this weekend," Lee informed her.

"Oh?" she replied with an arched brow.

Lee pulled his shirt off and walked into his closet to get his pajamas. "I was thinking about that raised fort for the boys, too. You know for the telescope we got Jamie on our honeymoon. Maybe we could start working on that too if the weather holds out. There's usually a few good meteor showers in November he might still be able to catch."

Amanda returned to the bathroom and after a minute of the water running called back, "Are you sure you want to tackle that too?"

"Only one way to find out!" Lee replied, laughing.


	10. Chapter 10

"So... Amanda mentioned you are building a firepit AND a fort for the boys this weekend. Aren't you just the picture of domestic manliness? Next, you'll be cutting coupons and bargain shopping," Francine teased as she and Lee stepped off the elevator.

Lee rolled his eyes as he held the door to the bullpen open for her. "Actually, the firepit and fort were my ideas," he informed her, knowing she was just trying to get under his skin.

"Scarecrow, Desmond, in my office now," Billy bellowed from his open door.

"Uh oh, what's gotten into Billy this morning? Don't tell me the bakery ran out of donuts," Lee asked with a nervous chuckle.

"Don't think I didn't hear that!" Billy shouted before slamming his door closed.

Francine whistled low, "That sounds like you might be in trouble, Scarecrow. I'd watch what you say for the next few minutes or else Billy is liable to-"

"To do what? I didn't do anything, Francine," Lee cut her off. He knocked once on Billy's door before pushing it open. "You wanted to see us?" Lee asked, hoping to lighten Billy's mood.

"Close the door!" Billy commanded. Francine leaned against the window's ledge and Lee placed his hands on the chair across from Billy's desk. "Since you both seemed to take your sweet old time getting in this morning, would you like to update me on what you've found so far? Dr. Smyth is breathing down my neck for an update and our friends on Capitol Hill are getting very nervous."

Lee nodded and stated, "Amanda and I made a trip to Milton-Guild College yesterday and found out the professor that developed it was let go after the Senate vetoed a bill to continue funding the college. What if…" Lee paused for a moment as he began to pace then continued, "What if this guy was just mad enough to go after anyone that voted against it?"

Billy pressed his lips together tightly and gave his head a sharp nod, "Makes sense he might be unhappy about it, but why?"

"Well, he lost his job because of it and from what Amanda and I were told yesterday he's more or less dropped out of sight. His old colleague hasn't heard from him in over a month; he's not even sure how to find him. He said he tried to help him get a job at another college, but because of a few accidents with TM9 it's been hard," Lee explained as he continued to pace, every few steps his fingers twitched.

Francine furrowed her brow as she pondered Lee's explanation. "So, if what you're saying is correct, it sounds like he has a pretty big grudge against anyone that voted against the funding. There are a hundred senators, so that means at least fifty-one voted against it. Five have been poisoned over the last few weeks, does that mean we have to keep tabs on," Francine paused to calculate the remaining senators, "another forty-six of them? Billy that's nearly impossible. It's like finding a needle in a haystack!" she exclaimed loudly, tossing her hands in the air.

"Calm down, Francine. Scarecrow, did you and Amanda discover anything else?" Billy snapped.

Lee shook his head, "No, but I'd like to give Senator Cooper's apartment a once over. He did say he had a repairman there to check the heat so maybe, I don't know, maybe that's the connection. Senators Harrison and Montgomery also said they had work done in the days before they were poisoned."

"Well, I'm not sure what you're looking for but I say go for it. It can't hurt," Billy resigned.

Lee nodded, "I'm not sure either but it's just a hunch. Amanda and I will head over there this afternoon."

"Where is Amanda?" Billy finally noticed her absence.

"Jamie's photography project is going to be on display at the Arlington Arts Center so she brought some of the pictures to be framed," Lee answered, a smile spreading across his face.

Francine chuckled, "If I didn't know any better, I'd say you were proud of the kid."

Lee shot her a stern look as he replied, "I am proud of him. After all, photography is what finally broke the ice with him and I'm glad to see him excelling in something he accomplished himself. I just showed him how the camera worked, but he took it to another level."

"Well, it doesn't surprise me. From what I know of Jamie, he's a smart boy. If he takes after Amanda, I'm sure he's done some great work," Billy interjected. "I'll give Dr. Smyth an update to pass on. Hopefully, we won't have any other sick Senators."

Lee held the door to Billy's office open for Francine. As she passed by him she couldn't help tease him once more. "Scarecrow, any news on the repairs on your car?" she asked innocently. Lee bit the inside of his cheek which began to twitch rapidly. He glared at Francine as she smirked and said, "I'll take that as a no." She sauntered off in the direction of her desk as Lee crossed the bullpen and headed toward the elevator.

He punched the call buttons angrily. "Come on, come on," he muttered. The doors slid apart silently a few seconds later, and as Lee stepped inside, he snapped the jackets to the side. He took a deep breath as the elevator descended three floors. When the doors opened again, Lee was calmer. He stepped out and turned right, heading to the shooting range. He found Leatherneck sitting at the desk, his feet up, reading a newspaper. "Hey, Leatherneck!" Lee called cheerfully.

"Hey, Ace. What brings you down here?" Leatherneck smiled at Lee as he folded the newspaper up.

Lee sat on the edge of the desk and folded his arms. "You do, as a matter of fact. Do you have any plans this weekend?" he asked.

Leatherneck pulled out a small pocket planner and flipped the dog-eared pages until he found the one he was looking for. "This weekend? I got nothing until Sunday night. I pulled the short straw and I'm on the Duty Roster that night babysitting a few of the new recruits on surveillance detail. What's up?"

Lee sighed then asked, "Do you know how to build a firepit?"

"A what?" Leatherneck wasn't sure he heard Lee correctly.

"A firepit. You know, rocks, bricks, a place to make s'mores," Lee tried to explain. He gestured his hands in a circular motion, hoping it would make more sense.

Leatherneck chuckled, "That's what I thought you said, Ace. Yeah, I've built a few here and there. Not a nice fancy one, mostly for functional purposes. Why do you ask?"

Lee pressed his lips together and explained, "Well, I sort of told the boys they could have some friends over for Halloween and I thought it would be fun for them to have a firepit to make s'mores after they go out. You know, something fun but safe for them to do. I just don't need them burning the backyard down after just moving in." He sighed one more time then added, "Can you help me?"

"Well then, that depends," Leatherneck moved his feet off the desk and sat up.

"On what?" Lee asked nervously.

Leatherneck smiled and replied, "On what you plan on making for dinner."

"Tell you what, if you can help me build a small raised fort, I'll throw in lunch both days too!" Lee offered with a relieved grin. "Oh, and a case of beer, to keep us hydrated."

Leatherneck stuck out his hand and when Lee shook it, he stated, "You've got a deal."

"I don't know how long this is going to take so how about meeting at the house around nine tomorrow morning? We can work as long as we have light and the boys offered to help too," Lee suggested.

"I'll bring the pastries. How about that little bakery down the street, the one with the blonde girl that works the counter?" Leatherneck bobbed his head up and down in excitement.

Lee stood and looked at him, "Hey, I thought you and Francine had something going on."

Leatherneck shrugged his shoulders and propped his feet up once more, "I'm not sure what it is just yet. We've hung out a bit, had a few drinks, nothing serious though."

"Uh huh, well, just don't hurt her. She'll kick your-" Lee began but Leatherneck cut him off with a raised hand.

"No warning needed, Scarecrow. I know what she can do with a gun, never mind hand to hand combat. I've been around long enough to know that's one woman I don't ever want to tangle with in a bad way," Leatherneck nodded.

Lee laughed loudly as he turned to leave. "Thanks, man. I'll see you Saturday morning." He left the shooting range, happier than when he first descended. "Now, let's see if Amanda and I can make any headway on this case," he stated to the empty hallway.


	11. Chapter 11

Amanda knocked on Senator Cooper's door and looked over at Lee as they waited. She reached over and brushed a piece of lint off his shoulder just as the door opened. "Oh, hello, Senator Cooper," she said cheerfully. "We just stopped by to see how you were feeling?" she added with a smile.

Senator Cooper opened the door wider as he replied, "Better. Would you like to come in?" He stepped back as Lee and Amanda walked into his apartment. Lee looked around and took note of the modest furnishings, the neat appearance of the room as well as the framed photographs all around. "I was just putting away a few things," he explained.

"I'm sorry we interrupted, but do you think we could take a look around? Maybe at the heating unit you said was giving you trouble?" Lee asked.

"Sure, it's in here," Senator Cooper gestured for them to follow him into the hall. He knelt down and indicated a small vent on the wall. "The guy just took off the faceplate, cleaned it out, screwed it back on and then went into the basement. That's all I know."

Lee knelt down beside him and peered at the vent. He tapped his pocket, looking for the small utility tool he usually carried. Amanda smiled, reached into her purse, pulled out the Swiss Army knife she carried and handed it to him. "Thanks," Lee muttered as he retracted the flat head screwdriver and removed the vent. He pulled a small flashlight from his jacket pocket and aimed it into the small cavity.

"See anything?" Amanda asked. She put her hand on his shoulder to lean in for a better look.

"No, just some disturbed dust but that could be from anything," Lee admitted. He started to move but realized Amanda's hand was preventing him. "Amanda?" he questioned with a tap on her hand.

Amanda quickly stood, pulled her hand back and apologized, "Sorry." She looked over at Senator Cooper who was watching them intently. "Senator, has anything else happened since you've been home? Have you noticed anything unusual?"

The young senator leaned against the wall to think. He shook his head and replied, "No, nothing I can think of. The landlord did say they came in and fixed my heat while I was in the hospital, but that's about it. I haven't had a problem with it since."

Lee finished screwing the vent back in and stood. "So, the landlord let the repairman back in?"

Senator Cooper confirmed, "Yes, he has a key. He knew I was in the hospital and wanted to be sure it was all set."

"Do you know the name of the repair company by any chance?" Amanda asked. Lee pulled out his small notebook and a pen, ready to jot the name down.

"Um, I think the company name on his uniform shirt was HeCo or HiCo, something like that," Senator Cooper replied.

Lee tapped the pen on the notepad as he asked, "Did you notice a name tag or anything?"

"Harry. I was laughing because I kept thinking of Dirty Harry and how this guy was so far from that," he chuckled.

"Do you remember what he looked like?" Amanda asked, her eyebrows high.

"He was about this tall," Senator Cooper indicated with his hand that the man was just about eye level with himself before he continued. "He had salt and pepper hair, kind of looked like he needed a haircut though. Um, a scruffy beard, I don't know, sort of unkempt, you know."

Lee pressed his lips together as he jotted down the descriptions, "Was he thin? Heavy set?" he asked.

"Thin, definitely thin," Senator Cooper confirmed.

Amanda smiled as Lee tucked the notepad and pen away into his pocket. "Thank you very much, Senator Cooper. If you think of anything else, give us a call. It could be important," she stated.

The trio walked through the living room to the front door. Lee stopped and asked, "One last thing…I heard the Senate voted against funding for a private college last year."

"Yes, Milton-Guild. They were doing some research into biological warfare and many of us felt it wasn't the government's place to fund such activity at this time. The military has been doing its own research and we pay enough for that so why are we giving a private institution more money to do that same thing," he stated firmly.

"Did everyone in the Senate agree?" Amanda asked, unsure where Lee was going with his remark.

"Fifty-eight of us did. The other forty-two think we should spend every penny on figuring out how to gas all our enemies into oblivion," Senator Cooper added. "Why do you ask? Do you think it has to do with why I was poisoned?"

Lee nodded, "It might. Do you think you could provide us with a list of who voted?"

Senator Cooper shook his head in agreement, "Sure, I can get my secretary to get you the roll count votes. It is public record."

"Great. It might be nothing or it could help save someone else from getting sick," Lee informed him.

"Hey, whatever I can do to help," Senator Cooper replied. He opened the door for them and after they stepped into the hall he added, "Mr. Stetson, I really appreciate you following up on this. I'll do my best to get that list to you as soon as possible."

"You take care now," Amanda chimed in with a smile. Senator Cooper smiled back and closed the door behind them. Lee slipped his hand to her lower back as they walked down the hall to the outside door. "What do you think?" she asked.

"Well, I can't say for sure but I think our repairman might be Dr. Harborne and if that list is public record like Cooper just said then, it wouldn't take much for Marty or Harry or whatever he wants to call himself to get ahold of it," Lee theorized. He opened the car door and waited until Amanda was sitting before closing it. He sat in the driver's seat, resting his hands on the wheel before inserting the keys. His fingers drummed the wheel as he considered the facts they had just learned. After a few minutes, he turned to Amanda to recap. "Ok, so Dr. Harborne is so angered by losing his job, what does he do? He gets the list of all the senators that voted against the funding and then what?"

"He decides he's going to get revenge?" Amanda asked tentatively.

"Right," Lee nodded. "He decides he's going to get revenge, so what does he do? I'll tell you what he does, he recreates TM9, then he finds the best way to introduce it to each senator without affecting anyone around him."

"So, the senators with families he uses perfume or cologne and the ones that live alone, he does what?" Amanda interjected.

"Somehow he gets it into their heating system vents? Maybe he's using this company as a disguise…" Lee trailed off in thought. "I think the first thing we need to do is find out as much as we can about Dr. Harborne."

"I already asked Francine to do that," Amanda replied with a smile as they pulled away from the curb.

Lee glanced over at her and laughed. "And how did you know?"

Amanda raised her shoulders as she said, "I didn't. I was just covering all our bases. I also asked her to check out Dr. Durgan and anyone else working at Milton-Guild before and after the discovery of TM9."

"And when did all this happen?" Lee asked incredulously.

"I bumped into her in the elevator before we left. You were still downstairs and she briefed me on your meeting with Billy," Amanda informed him. "Not to change the subject but did you get a chance to talk to Leatherneck?"

Lee smiled at his wife and nodded enthusiastically. "I did. He will be over first thing Saturday morning to get started. The only thing he made me do was promise I'd make dinner."

"Really? That doesn't seem fair," Amanda replied with a sigh. "Maybe we could get him a gift certificate to a restaurant or something. That's a lot of work just for dinner."

Lee turned right then left, weaving through traffic as they headed back to the Agency. "Well, if I make my word famous frittatas then…" he trailed off laughing.

"Just no mushrooms. The boys won't eat it if they even smell a hint of mushrooms," Amanda reminded him.

Lee laughed louder and replied, "I'll just have to make sure I make one without mushrooms just for them then."

"I'll check with Francine when we get back if you want to update Billy on what we just found out," Amanda stated before looking out the window and yawning loudly. "Oh, excuse me. I don't know where that came from."

"You okay?" Lee glanced over once more. "Did you sleep all right last night?"

Amanda smiled at him and replied, "I slept fine, especially curled up next to you. I'm just tired all of a sudden."

"You're not coming down with something, are you?" Lee sounded more worried than he intended. It wasn't like Amanda to not be a ball of energy in the middle of the day.

"I don't think so. Maybe I just didn't eat enough for lunch today. I'll get a snack when we get back. That should perk me right up," she said as she reached out and patted his leg.

Lee covered her hand with his own and asked once more time, "You're sure?"

Amanda turned her hand over and intertwined her fingers with his as she stated firmly, "I'm fine."


	12. Chapter 12

**Chapter 12**

Francine handed Lee several file folders and stated, "This is all I could find. Dr. Durgan is squeaky clean and pretty dull, as are most of the other professors at Milton-Guild. Dr. Harborne has a little more of a colorful history but nothing that raises any red flags."

Lee leaned against his desk in the Q Bureau and flipped open Dr. Harborne's file. He lifted the first page, then the second, scanning Francine's meticulous notes. After a few minutes, he sighed loudly and said, "Well, at least we have an address we can start with. That's more than we had this morning."

"Well, Scarecrow I hate to burst your bubble but that building burnt down about six weeks ago. Remember, it was all over the news," Francine informed Lee.

"So, we are back to square one then," Lee resigned. He glanced at his watch then over to Amanda, who was sitting at her desk reading another file quietly. "Did the lab come up with anything else?" Lee asked.

Amanda shook her head as she scanned down one page, comparing it to the next. "No, it's the same chemical compound for both bottles. They didn't find any prints either on the bottle of perfume other than Senator Christie's."

"Well, then, there isn't much more we can do right now until we get that list from Cooper's secretary," Lee stated. He closed the folder in his hands and tapped it several times with his index finger as he stared at the whiteboard across the room. "Francine, can you add something for me?" he requested.

Francine crossed the room and uncapped the marker, "What is it?"

"Add a possible link to HiCo, the heating and air conditioning company Senator Cooper mentioned. I have a feeling Harry is really Dr. Harborne but it's just a hunch. And unfortunately, it's already after five. I'm sure if we tried to call or stop by, we won't get much more than an answering service until Monday morning," Lee added.

"Well, why I don't I run a background on HiCo before I go? It won't take more than a few minutes and it will save you some time Monday morning," Francine offered, much to Lee and Amanda's surprise.

"Thanks, Francine," Lee replied as he stood and straightened his tie.

Francine shrugged her shoulders, "No need. I have to kill some time now anyway. I'm only heading to Nedlinger's, so it's fine."

Amanda smiled, "No big plans tonight?" She stood and adjusted the shoulder strap to her purse as she moved around her desk.

Francine held the door open for both of them and said, "No, just meeting Leatherneck."

Amanda raised an eyebrow in Lee's direction but didn't say anything. Her surprised expression told him to keep quiet as well. "Well, have a good time then," Lee offered. "Oh, Francine, Leatherneck is going to be helping at the house this weekend. Why don't you swing by for dinner too? Unless you have other plans." He stopped and locked the office door before guiding Amanda to the stairs.

"Well, I was thinking about getting a massage tomorrow afternoon and maybe my nails done, but dinner at the Stetson home sounds pretty good," Francine replied.

"That's the Stetson-King home," Lee corrected her, earning a smile from Amanda.

"Oh, that's right," Francine said sweetly, "But shouldn't that be the Stetson-King-West home then?"

Lee chuckled, "I think you're getting a little carried away now. But the invitation is there if you want it. I'm making my world-famous frittatas."

Francine licked her lips hungrily as she replied, "What time?"

Now it was Amanda's turn to laugh, "Well, Leatherneck will be at the house at nine to start helping Lee and the boys, so let's plan dinner for around six?"

They reached the landing where Mrs. Marston sat, listening to their every word. "Six o'clock is perfect. I'll see you then. I'll go pull up what I can find on HiCo now and bring it with me tomorrow," Francine stated as she slipped into the closet elevator.

Lee and Amanda stopped at Mrs. Marston's desk to turn in their badges. "Scarecrow, when you see Leatherneck tomorrow morning, please inform him I will not be responsible for any more lost deliveries. If he wants his orders delivered directly to the garage, he should specify that, not my desk. I have no use for a windshield nor any other car parts," she informed him with a stern expression.

"Understood. I'll be sure to pass the message along," Lee tried hard to hide the smirk that threatened.

"And Mrs. Stetson," Mrs. Marston turned to Amanda.

"Yes?" Amanda asked meekly, almost afraid what the matronly woman was going to say.

"Accounting has not received a copy of your marriage certificate in order to process your full name change," Mrs. Marston stated.

Amanda's eye grew large at the realization. "Oh, I'll be sure to bring that down first thing Monday morning," she stated as she placed her shaking hand on Lee's arm. "We should go, Lee, we're going to be late."

"Yeah, we don't want to be late," Lee replied. Her shaking hand on his arm was enough for him to follow her lead. "Have a nice weekend, Mrs. Marston."

Mrs. Marston studied their faces one last time before she replied, "You as well. Sounds like it's going to be a busy one at your house."

Lee just smiled back as he and Amanda left through the Georgetown entrance. They didn't say anything until they were driving down the street, the building slowly disappearing in the distance behind them.

"Lee, I can't give them a copy of our marriage certificate," Amanda lamented.

Lee glanced over at her and said, "Sure you can. You give them the copy we all signed; you, me, Billy, Francine, Leatherneck. As far as everyone is concerned THAT is our marriage certificate."

Amanda groaned, "But that's not our official certificate."

"Well, just tell them we are waiting for it. It's lost in all the red tape at City Hall," Lee suggested. He could tell she was worried by the tone of her voice so he added, "Hey, just relax. It's only Accounting. You brought the original to the Registry of Motor Vehicles when you changed your license right?" Amanda nodded, so Lee continued, "And you brought it to the bank when we combined our checking account. So, this is just to change your information for your paychecks. Don't worry, everything will be fine."

Amanda looked out the window and asked nervously, "But what if it's not? What if they need the original, the official original?"

"Then." Lee thought for a moment. "Then I have one of my contacts make up one that _looks_ like an original. One that could fool anyone, so don't worry. If it comes down to that, but only as a last resort." He slipped his hand into hers and squeezed it gently. "Hey, you know I was thinking of something today. How do you think your mother would feel about a car of her own? I don't mean anything flashy, just something big enough for her and the boys if need be."

Amanda knitted her brow, confused, "My mother's never owned her own car. She just got her license last year."

"I know which is why I was thinking…what if we used a little bit of the money we still have leftover to buy her something," Lee suggested.

Amanda twisted in her seat to face him, "You want to buy Mother a car? You're serious?"

"Yeah, I'm serious. I was looking at some in the Want Ads in the paper and found a few that sound in decent shape. I could even ask Leatherneck to keep an eye out for one for me. He gets them in all time for the motor pool so I'm sure he could find us a good one for her. Something safe, reliable, and then she wouldn't have to borrow your car all the time," Lee explained with a dimpled smile.

Amanda rubbed his hand with hers and replied, "Sweetheart, you don't have to do that."

"I know, but I want to. I mean, we have the extra money, we could even pay the insurance for the year for her," Lee pleaded. They were stopped at a red light when he turned to look in Amanda's eyes. "Amanda, she's done so much for you, for us, I just feel like it's the right thing to do."

Amanda reached up and touched his face lovingly before she asked, "It would mean a lot to you, wouldn't it?"

The light turned green, forcing Lee to look back at the road but not before he replied, "Yes, it would."

Amanda sighed, squeezed his hand one last time before conceding, "Okay, but it has to be the right car for her. Nothing big, nothing fancy. And not too expensive."

Lee smiled, his dimples deep once again. "I'll talk to Leatherneck and make it happen. _We_ will make this happen."


	13. Chapter 13

**Chapter 13**

The alarm blared loudly for the second time Saturday morning. Lee woke up and slapped at it, haphazardly, trying to silence the annoying sound. He yawned, ran his hand through his hair to wake himself up before rolling over to face Amanda, still curled up on her side, sound asleep. He touched her face gently and spoke softly, "Hey, it's time to get up. Leatherneck's gonna be here in about an hour."

"Hmmm," Amanda murmured as she rubbed her head and settled down deeper in her pillow.

Lee grinned then leaned forward and brushed his lips across hers. Amanda responded by hooking her foot around his leg, pulling him closer. She tipped her chin upward, catching his lips once more. This time, she parted her lips and her tongue teased his bottom lip. Lee's hand immediately cupped Amanda's rounded bottom, pressing her hips close to his. When the kiss ended, they lay forehead to forehead, slightly breathless. The alarm blared once again, and Lee groaned loudly as he reached over and smacked the machine once more.

Amanda sighed and opened her eyes slowly, "I guess we should get moving. I'll get the boys up while you shower."

Lee tossed the comforter aside and sat on the edge of the bed, rubbing his head once more. "I'll make it fast. After all, I'm just going to get dirty all day anyhow." He stood and immediately turned back to straighten the bed, giving Amanda the opportunity to head into the bathroom first. Lee finished making the bed, grabbed an older pair of jeans and a sweatshirt from his closet. Amanda emerged and stopped him with a brief kiss once more before she tightened her robe and headed down the stairs. Lee could hear her knocking on the boys' bedroom doors as he stepped into the shower.

Fifteen minutes later, Lee and Amanda were sipping coffee at the kitchen island when the boys appeared, both wearing outfits similar to Lee's. "Leatherneck will be here soon, and he promised to bring pastries for breakfast," Lee announced. Philip and Jamie's heads shot up at the mention of pastries. Amanda poured a glass of juice for each of them and kissed her sons on the head before leaving the kitchen to get changed.

Lee was just pouring his second cup of coffee when he heard Dotty calling him. "Lee? I think your friend is here already." She was standing by the front door, peering out.

Lee crossed the house, passing Dotty on her way to the kitchen and opened the front door catching Leatherneck with his hand raised, ready to knock. "You're early," Lee commented. "Come on in."

"Well, I figured we had to make a run to the store to get supplies as well, so why not come a few minutes early. I'm not too early, am I?" Leatherneck asked as he stepped inside carrying several pastry boxes.

"Never too early. Good morning, Leatherneck," Amanda called as she descended the stairs.

"Good morning, Mrs. Stetson," Leatherneck replied politely. He handed her the pastry boxes as he said, "Breakfast is here. I hope the boys like chocolate croissants."

"Leatherneck, call me Amanda, please," she insisted. "Follow me. The coffee's waiting in the kitchen. How do you take it?" she asked with a smile.

"Just black, please," Leatherneck replied. He looked around as they walked to the kitchen, "Wow, Ace, I can't believe this is your house."

Lee chuckled, "What do you mean, you can't believe it. What were you expecting?"

Leatherneck looked around once more and shook his head, "Not this. Good morning, Mrs. West."

Dotty was pouring coffee for everyone when they reached the kitchen. She handed Leatherneck a mug and greeted him, "Good morning, Leatherneck. You did say you liked your coffee black, correct?"

"Yes, ma'am. Black is just fine. As long as it isn't that swill they try to pass off in the Shoot..." Leatherneck began but when he saw Amanda's eyes widen, he trailed off and quickly added, "in my department. You never know how those guys make coffee."

Amanda released the breath she had inhaled and smiled again. She opened the pastry boxes and pulled out a few dishes from the cabinet. "How about after we eat, Lee, you can give Leatherneck the grand tour of the house? I'd like to get some laundry started and while you boys work, Mother and I can go to the store and pick up the groceries."

"We'll need to go to the lumber yard as well as the masonry supply store to get the stuff we need for your project," Leatherneck explained as he placed a cheese danish on a small plate.

"Can we go with you?" Philip asked. He reached over and took a fruit tart and a chocolate croissant. "We can help carry everything."

"Yeah, after moving, we're pretty good at carrying things without dropping them," Jamie inserted. "Mom, may I have a danish?" he asked, holding his dish. Amanda placed both a lemon danish and a chocolate croissant on the plate and handed him a napkin as well.

"I brought the pickup and it might be a tight squeeze for all of us in the truck," Leatherneck said.

"Well, if I take Amanda's car, and Amanda and Dotty take the loaner we should have plenty of room for everything. We can drop the back seat down, load it up," Lee suggested.

"Can I ride with Leatherneck?" Philip asked at the same time Jamie asked, "Can I ride with you, Lee?" Both boys looked at each other and laughed.

"Well, I guess that's settled. Let's finish up so we can get this going," Lee announced.

Leatherneck finished his breakfast, politely placing his dish in the sink, much to Amanda's surprise. While Lee showed him around the house, Leatherneck sipped his coffee. When they got to the office, Lee explained their plan to add a second phone line and a soundproof door. Leatherneck even went as far as to suggest additional soundproofing material on the walls as well. "I've seen some new variations now. Looks just like regular wall panels only it's got a layer in between," he explained.

"Good, then no one will suspect a thing. We're trying to keep as much 'work' out of the house as possible, but if we do need to bring something home, we need a safe place to keep it out of sight from prying eyes," Lee stated.

They left the office and Lee showed him the bedrooms, the family and laundry rooms in the lower level, followed by a quick tour of the garage. Once outside, they surveyed the backyard and decided the best spot for both the firepit and the raised fort for Jamie's telescope.

Jamie and Philip joined them when they returned to the garage, both boys ready to go. Lee got his keys and wallet from the bedroom, said goodbye to Dotty and Amanda and the group left in the two vehicles.

The day passed quickly, Amanda and Dotty working inside the house on laundry and their regular weekly cleaning chores, while the boys, Lee and Leatherneck outside, diligently working on the firepit and the start of the raised fort.

They began by outlining the area of the pit with a can of spray paint and while the boys dug the hole out, Lee and Leatherneck began framing the fort. Once the boys finished, Leatherneck instructed everyone on how to use the bags of sand to line the hole, then sorting through the rocks they already dug up, they reinforced the bottom of the hole. They had purchased retaining wall blocks for the chimney of the firepit so carefully, they took turns placing each block in the next spot. Jamie was charged with the task of checking to be sure each block was level and spaced evenly as the circle slowly grew. Once the first two levels were completed, Amanda interrupted them with a tray of sandwiches and soft drinks and the announcement she and Dotty would be leaving to go grocery shopping.

"Boys, make sure you listen to Lee and Leatherneck and remember, no fighting," she reminded them.

"We know, Mom," the boys groaned. Amanda and Dotty left several minutes later, leaving the guys outside to finish their lunch.

Philip swallowed the remaining liquid in the can and belched loudly before crushing the can in his hand. "Yeah, that felt good!" he exclaimed. He looked up and saw Lee staring at him, his arms crossed, waiting. "Excuse me," Philip muttered looking down at the ground. He took his trash and began to walk back to the house. On his way by, he picked up the large plastic bags the sand had come in. He shoved everything into a barrel and returned to the small group with a sigh.

"Leatherneck, how many more layers do you think we're going to need to finish this?" Jamie asked as he pushed his glasses up his nose with the back of his hand.

Leatherneck stood next to the growing firepit and indicated a height just below his knee. "I would say this should be good enough. High enough to protect anyone sitting around it but low enough to still give off enough heat too," he explained.

Jamie looked at the blocks and then tried to calculate the height, "So five or six more layers?" he asked with a tilt of his head.

Lee nodded, "I would say that might do it. You're doing a pretty good job there keeping everything even."

"Thanks. It's just math. I mean once we got the circumference down, it was a matter of calculating how many blocks we need to fit on each layer and then keeping the consistent number of spaces between them, adding the extra two inches every five blocks for airflow, like Leatherneck said," Jamie rambled. He lifted the small level once more to adjust the last block.

"Hey, Lee, do you think we could split up? I mean, Wormbrain over there has already figured out what needs to be done, so what if two of us worked on the fort and the other two on finishing that?" Philip shook his thumb over his shoulder in the direction of the pile of wood they had stacked for the fort.

Lee nodded but pressed his lips together tightly before he said, "Yeah, but what have we said about calling your brother names? Or maybe you don't want to help finish this up?"

"I only called him-" Philip began but stopped immediately when Lee raised his hand and glared at him. "Well, can we? I mean we can get more done if we divide and conquer, right?"

Jamie couldn't help get his own dig in on Philip so he quickly responded, "Divide and conquer? Those are big words for you. Did your new girlfriend teach you that?"

Philip took a step toward his brother, his hands tensing into fists when Lee stepped between them and placed his hand on Philip's chest. "I think it might be a good idea to split up. And you're right, Philip, we might get more done. So how about I stay here with Jamie and you and Leatherneck get started on the platform."

Philip let his hands drop to his side, groaned and said, "Yeah, Junior can't swing a hammer anyway. He might hit his thumb or something." He turned his back and shuffled off to the other corner of the yard, leaving Leatherneck standing alone, completely confused.

"Enough!" Lee shouted causing both boys to jump. Both boys muttered an insincere apology but didn't say anything else after. Instead, they both concentrated on the tasks at hand. Lee looked at Leatherneck, "Sorry about that. Sometimes they get a little carried away."

"No need," Leatherneck stated. "I have a younger brother too so I know what that's like. I just can't believe you just handled that like a pro."

Lee chuckled, "Well, I can't shoot them, can I? Amanda might have something to say about that."

Leatherneck laughed, "No, you can't do that. I'll go help young Ace out over there. We'll get most of this done before it gets dark and then tomorrow if we all work together, we can get it up and the ladder built."

"Sounds like a plan to me," Lee stated before he turned back to a sulking Jamie who was focused on placing the next block.


	14. Chapter 14

**Chapter 14**

Francine arrived at the house just as Lee was finishing his second shower of the day. She couldn't believe her eyes at the size of the house and was completely speechless as she stepped inside after Amanda opened the door for her. "It's big, huh?" Amanda summarized for her. Francine simply nodded as she looked around, taking in every detail.

"What's the matter, Francine, you've never seen anything this big before?" Lee teased as he jogged down the steps.

"I've…played backgammon in houses twice this size before," she shot back, straightening her shoulders and lifting her chin in defense.

"Yeah, but you didn't own that house," Lee stated with a sharp nod of his head. "Leatherneck should be down in a few minutes. I told him to use our shower instead of the boys'," he explained. "While we wait, would you care for a glass of wine?"

Francine scanned the room once more, reached out and touched Amanda's arm and asked, "Can you show me the rest of the Stetson Palace?"

Amanda laughed, took Francine by the hand and replied, "Follow me. Lee gave Leatherneck the grand tour earlier so now it's my turn."

The two women disappeared into the kitchen where Lee heard Francine loudly exclaim, "Are you kidding me?" Laughing loudly, Lee trailed behind them to start pulling out the ingredients for their dinner.

Jamie, freshly showered with his damp hair hanging over his forehead, appeared in the doorway eager to help. "Can I cut the vegetables?"

"Sure, Chief. Grab the cutting board and a knife," Lee agreed, thankful for another set of hands. His body was sore from their long day of moving the wood and blocks around the backyard, but he was happy they were able to finish the firepit. "You did a good job today," he complimented his youngest stepson.

"Well, it was kinda fun working outside, even though Philip tried to be a jerk," Jamie admitted.

Lee shook his head, "Hey, he was just trying to get under your skin. Ignore him."

"I can't ignore him. He's my brother! Besides, he always thinks he's better at stuff than I am, just because he's older," Jamie stated as he carefully began cutting up the peppers Lee pulled from the refrigerator.

Lee stilled Jamie's hand with his own as he said softly, "Just because he's older, doesn't make him better. You each have your own talents, your own strengths and one day, it's not going to matter who's older or who's taller or who had better grades in school."

"Well said, Sweetheart," Amanda interrupted as she and Francine walked up the stairs from the family room.

"How long have you been standing there?" Lee asked, slightly embarrassed at the look Francine was giving him.

Amanda crossed the room and kissed his cheek as she said, "Long enough to hear you straighten Jamie out a bit." She stepped around Lee and pulled her son into her arms for a hug. "Lee's right, pretty soon, none of that stuff is going to matter because you'll both be in college or grown and moving on with a family of your own."

"Isn't that rushing things? I mean, I'm only in seventh grade," Jamie groaned.

"I had my first real boyfriend in seventh grade," Francine tried to insert herself into the conversation. Lee looked up at her, one eyebrow raised, trying to figure out where she was going with her comment. "I just mean, this is when your life begins to get interesting, that's all."

Lee nodded slowly as he agreed, "I guess you could put it that way, Francine. But for now, let's concentrate on getting dinner ready."

"Agreed," Amanda and Francine stated together. "I'm going to finish showing Francine the rest of the house while you two work," Amanda added. "And I'll send Philip down to set the table."

"Thanks," Lee replied as he began warming oil in a cast iron fry pan on the large stove to start cooking the vegetables.

Amanda and Francine wandered into the office where Amanda sighed loudly. "It doesn't end, does it?" Francine asked.

"What's that?" Amanda asked, confused.

"Telling everyone what to do, when to do it?" Francine chuckled. "If it's not one of the boys, it's Lee."

Amanda shook her head and pinched the bridge of her nose, "You make it sound like he's one of the boys. Believe me, Francine, Lee knows what to do. He's come a long way in the last year, especially when it comes to the boys."

Francine reached out and touched her arm, "That's not what I mean. I've seen the change in Lee and honestly, I still can't believe it. But I know he has changed. He's a better man than he was when I first met him, that's for sure."

"He's always been a good man, he just didn't know what was inside, waiting to come out," Amanda stated softly. "Let me show you the bedrooms. I think Philip is done showering and I just want to check the bathroom after him."

"Lead the way!" Francine directed with a sweep of her arm dramatically. She was smiling as she followed Amanda through the second floor, commenting on the extra bedroom as well. "So how long do you think this will stay empty?"

Amanda blushed as she closed the door and said, "I don't know. I'm not in my twenties anymore and who knows what's going to happen, but if it does, then it will be a welcome addition and if it doesn't, well, we'll always have a guest room."

They turned to climb the stairs to the master suite just as Leatherneck was descending. "Thanks, Amanda, for letting me use your shower. That's a beautiful piece of plumbing right there," he commented as he nodded at Francine before he continued down the stairs.

Francine and Amanda laughed as they continued upward. Amanda pushed the door open, allowing Francine to enter the bedroom first. "Wow. I don't have any other words, but wow," Francine admitted.

"Lee's only requirements for the house were five bedrooms and a walk-in shower in the master suite," Amanda explained with a smile.

She stayed near the doorway as Francine wandered around the room, nodding when Francine asked if she could open the closet doors. Francine let out a low whistle as she flipped on the light and looked around. Without another word, she slowly crossed the room and opened the bathroom door and whistled again. "I'm speechless," she muttered as she looked around the beautifully tiled floors and wall and ran her hand along the dual sink vanity. "You didn't have to do anything before you moved in, did you?"

"We thought about painting, but Lee thought maybe we should live with it for a while and decide once we're comfortable. After wallpapering the rooms in the old house a few times, painting is a piece of cake," Amanda replied.

"I see you kept Lee's couch and chairs from his living room. Isn't it kind of odd to put them up here though?" Francine asked. She was confused when Amanda's face immediately turned crimson.

"Well, we had an overabundance of furniture and thought these would be best up here," Amanda admitted. She fanned her face several times before asking, "Is it hot in here?"

Francine couldn't fight the smirk on her lips as she replied, "Not now, but I have a feeling there's another reason the couch is up here though and it has nothing to do with space." Amanda crossed the room to leave but Francine stopped her. "Amanda, you can tell me…have you and Lee…you know…on the couch?"

Amanda closed her eyes and steeled herself to give her an answer when Dotty appeared in the doorway, "Amanda, Lee is looking for-" She stopped when she saw the look on Amanda's and asked, "Am I interrupting something?"

"No, no, Mother, you're not interrupting anything at all. I was just giving Francine a tour of the house while Lee and Jamie were working on dinner that's all. And now that our tour is over, we should go downstairs and see if we can help them, don't you think so? After all, Lee's probably looking for something he can't find, because I put it away in a place he wouldn't think to look so, we should go find whatever it is that he is looking for," Amanda rambled. She began jogging down the steps, leaving Francine and Dotty staring after her.

"Did I miss something?" Dotty asked, confused.

Francine tossed her hands in the air and replied, "I think I did too." Together the two women followed Amanda into the kitchen where she was pulling out the wine bottle opener from one of the many drawers.

"So, Francine, what do you think?" Lee asked, taking the opener from Amanda. He carefully opened the bottle of Chardonnay, pouring drinks for all the adults.

Francine held her glass up in a toast and replied, "I think you did good Scarecrow. I think you did really good." The rest of the adults raised their glasses and responded with "Cheers."


	15. Chapter 15

**Chapter 15**

 **This chapter rated NC-17. If you are under 18 or are not comfortable please move to the next chapter.**

Amanda stood at the bathroom sink in her nightgown, brushing her teeth as Lee entered the room. He put his arms around her waist and dropped his chin on her shoulder, watching her in the mirror with a smile. Amanda rinsed her mouth and toothbrush before asking, "Tired?"

Lee grinned and muttered "Uh uh" before he brushed his lips across her shoulder. Amanda's head leaned to the side as she closed her eyes, enjoying the sensations he was stirring in her body.

"Dinner was a success and certainly delicious," she whispered huskily as she reached up with her right arm, her fingers sweeping through his fine hair.

"Hmm," Lee murmured against her skin. He glanced into the mirror to see Amanda's eyes partially closed and her skin flush as he brushed the hair away from her neck and kissed the sensitive skin. He felt her shiver involuntarily when his tongue darted out and licked just below her ear.

"Sweetheart," Amanda breathed heavily, "Are the boys in bed?"

"Yes," Lee whispered in her ear. He fisted her nightgown up in one hand, exposing her soft, pale skin underneath.

Amanda leaned her head forward slightly as she whispered, "And Mother?"

"Took her milk and wine to her room with that new book she got today," Lee whispered again, moving to the other side of her neck. He bunched her nightgown up higher, revealing the light blue cotton panties she was wearing.

Amanda relaxed against his warm body. She could feel his arousal hard against her lower back through the thin material of his sleep pants. She sighed softly as he suckled the tender skin along her shoulder, pushing her nightgown off one shoulder.

Lee held her close, his left hand sliding across her stomach and downward. He could feel the heat and wetness already emanating from her center. He began a slow tease of his fingers against her cotton clad apex, Amanda moaning his name in response. She turned in his arms, her lips finding his as he held her tightly against his body.

Amanda leaned back against the marble vanity, the stone cold against her heated skin. Lee pushed her nightgown off one shoulder completely to capture an exposed nipple in his lips. Amanda pushed at his sleep pants until they were in a puddle around his ankles before she wrapped her hand around his hard length. "Manda," Lee sighed her name. He hooked his fingers into the waistband of her panties and shoved them down far enough to tease her entrance. Amanda's hips twitched and bucked against his hand as he stroked her swollen flesh. He moved his hand and lifted her onto the edge of the vanity and slipped her panties down her legs as he knelt before her.

Amanda buried her hands in his hair when his mouth zeroed in on her sensitive skin, coaxing her upward with his tongue until she cried out, her legs tensing against his shoulders. He rose slowly and aligned himself with her core, quickly burying himself in her fluttering depths. His lips soon found her neck and she found herself climbing higher once again. As Lee moved within her, she linked her heels around his legs and arched her back, balancing herself on the edge of both the vanity and oblivion.

"Manda, look at me," Lee gently commanded as he steadily pumped his hips, his hands holding her hips for balance. Amanda opened her eyes and they focused on his just as she crested and dropped her head back with a cry. Lee pumped harder and faster, soon emptying himself deep within her hot core with a groan. As Amanda collapsed against the mirror, Lee leaned forward to kiss her forehead before slipping free from her body. "God, I love you," he panted, as he tried to slow his breathing. His muscles were still shaking, his legs barely holding him upright.

"And I love you, Sweetheart," Amanda whispered huskily, her voice barely audible. Her legs were still linked behind his, but the cold marble beneath her caused her body to shudder.

"You okay?" Lee asked. He pushed himself onto straight arms to look at her, his eyes scanning her face.

"Yeah, it's just this marble is getting cold," Amanda admitted. She detangled her legs from his and carefully pushed herself up into a precarious sitting position, Lee's body in her way from climbing down.

He brushed his lips against her temple once more before he reclaimed his balance and carefully took a half step backward. He quickly realized his sleep pants were preventing him from moving any further, so he easily stepped out of them and announced, "I'm going to shower again." When Amanda lifted her eyebrows he added, "Want to join me?"

"Did you lock the bedroom door?" she asked, suddenly aware her mother could still interrupt them at any time.

Lee smiled and with a sharp nod stated, "I did. And if the wink your mother gave me when I came up here is any indication, I don't think she'll be bothering us tonight. The boys were exhausted, and tomorrow is going to be a full day for them as well."

Amanda carefully climbed off the edge of the vanity and placed her hand on her husband's chest, still covered with a grey t-shirt. She couldn't resist smoothing the material over the firm muscles. "Then we should take advantage of any time we get then, shouldn't we?" she teased.

Lee didn't hesitate. He spun around and cranked the water to hot, allowing the steam to fill the room as he tugged his shirt over his head. He tossed his shirt and pants onto the corner of the vanity while Amanda followed suit, pulling her nightgown off, only she took the extra minute to fold and lay it on the marble behind her. Lee stepped into the shower enclosure and pulled her inside.

The water cascaded around them, heating their bodies once more. Lee first wet his head down, allowing the water to flow down his face before he turned Amanda's body under the hot stream. He reached for a folded washcloth from the shelf in the corner and wet it down. He took Amanda's favorite body wash and lathered up the soft cloth. He began running the cloth across her shoulders and back before sliding it down her arm.

Amanda grabbed the bar of soap Lee favored and rubbed it between her hands to create a soft foam. She turned in his arms and began washing his chest. She leaned close and kissed his neck as she continued to wash his ribs and stomach. She could feel the muscles in his stomach jump as her soapy fingers ghosted across them. She lathered up the bar of soap once more and reached lower, taking his shaft in her hands. She stroked him gently to both wash and stimulate him. Lee groaned "Manda" as he began to harden in her hands. He brushed her hands away when he backed her up against the tiled wall with a kiss.

Lee brushed the washcloth across her breasts, teasing the small globes of flesh into tight little points before moving lower. He ran the cloth down her stomach to the triangle of soft curls. Amanda whimpered softly as he stroked the cloth against her sensitive skin. She took the cloth from his hands and dropped it before pulling him close to kiss his lips. She swirled her tongue around his and brought her arms up around his neck to hold him against her.

Lee groaned happily as they kissed, and when he leaned back to look at Amanda, he couldn't help but smile. Her eyes were dark with desire, her lips slightly swollen, her skin pink. "I love you," he whispered over the sound of the shower.

Amanda reached up and touched his face as she replied, "And I love you."

Lee kissed her again and pressed her body against the tile once more. He ran his hand down her back to lift her right leg as he aligned his now hardened shaft with her center. With a slight shift of her hips, he easily slid inside her body. Amanda cried out softly and using the wall for leverage, she lifted her left leg as well. Lee moved his left arm to hold her up and with his right hand against the wall for balance he began to slowly rock his hips. Amanda rocked against him countering his thrusts. She cried out softly when Lee's lips found the sensitive skin on her neck and he suckled the point where her neck curved to her shoulder. His movements became a series of rhythmic upward thrusts and Amanda's body responded immediately. She held onto him tightly as she began to spasm, crying out Lee's name until she finally stilled in his arms. Lee's heart pounded in his heaving chest as he found his own release. Tangled together, he slowly lowered their conjoined bodies to the wet tiled floor as the water continued to cascade around them.


	16. Chapter 16

**Chapter 16**

"Lee, do you think we'll be able to watch the meteor shower tonight?" Jamie asked. They had just dropped Philip off at school and were heading in the direction of Jamie's school.

Lee smiled at his stepson in the rearview mirror. "You're pretty excited now that the fort is done, aren't you?" he asked the reflection.

Jamie smiled back, pushed his glasses up with one finger and replied, "Well, I mean, it's not every day you can see _two_ meteor showers at the same time. I was reading in the encyclopedia that the Leonis Minorids and the Orionid Meteor Shower are most visible this week. And I found in the newspaper last night that the sky should be clear until just about midnight, but it's going to rain Tuesday into Wednesday so this might be our only chance to see it." He took a deep breath, hoping Lee understood his excitement as well as his urgency.

"Jamie, it is a school night so what time does this meteor shower begin?" Amanda asked. She turned in her seat to see his face clearly as Lee continued to drive.

"Well," Jamie dragged out, "The encyclopedia said after midnight."

"After midnight? Are you crazy? On a school night?" Amanda questioned her son.

"But," Jamie added quickly, " I did read that you can sometimes see them after nine when the constellation rises in the sky."

"Nine o'clock is a much more reasonable time on a school night, Chief. I agree with your mother on this, midnight on a school night is too late," Lee interjected.

Amanda nodded and agreed, "Thank you, Lee. Yes, nine o'clock is much better but it is still close to bedtime so we'll have to think about this."

Jamie sat back in his seat and stared out of the window. He turned back to face Amanda. "Please, Mom? I promise I'll come right home, I'll get my homework done and I'll even help Philip with his if I have to," Jamie pleaded.

Lee took Amanda's hand in his and squeezed it gently as he stated, "You don't have to do Philip's homework, bud. We'll figure something out."

Amanda squeezed his hand back and said, "We'll talk about this during dinner." Lee pulled the car over in front of the school. Jamie opened the car door, his shoulders drooping. "Have a good day, Sweetheart."

"Thanks, Mom," Jamie groaned. "Bye, Lee." He trudged off sullenly toward the doors as Lee drove away slowly.

"Amanda, I don't understand why it's such a big deal for him to stay up a little later and watch the meteor shower tonight?" Lee stated.

Amanda shook her head, "Because sleep is very important. And if he doesn't get enough sleep then he's a bear in the morning and now that they don't take the bus to school, he needs to be up and ready a few minutes earlier." She folded her arms defiantly. She didn't want to fight with Lee over allowing Jamie to stay up late so she was prepared to stand her ground.

Lee sighed, "I get that, but really, how many more meteor showers is he going to be able to see this year? And he's excited over the idea he can finally use the telescope to see something other than the moon."

Amanda groaned, "That's not the point."

"Then what is the point?" Lee demanded as he banged his hand on the steering wheel in frustration. Amanda shot him a stern look but refused to answer. Amanda pressed her lips together tightly and looked away at the fast-moving scenery out the window.

"I know my boys and keeping them up later never pays off the next day," Amanda stated firmly without looking at him.

Lee continued driving, watching the road but took once last look at Amanda before he spoke again. "Look, I'm sorry," Lee conceded. "You're right, you do know the boys better than I do, so I shouldn't question when you make a decision." Amanda glanced back at him once more before she sighed loudly.

They rode the remaining few minutes to the Agency in an uncomfortable silence. When they entered the building, Mrs. Marston could sense the tension between them but didn't comment. She simply stated, "Francine is waiting for you in the Q."

"Thank you, Mrs. Marston," Amanda replied politely as she took their badges and headed up the stairs. Mrs. Marston raised one eyebrow in Lee's direction, but all he could do was raise his hands in a quick gesture and follow Amanda up the stairs.

In the Q Bureau, Francine was sitting on the couch when Amanda opened the door. "Good morning, Francine," she clipped before she dropped her purse into the bottom drawer of her desk and sat down.

Lee opened the door seconds later and looked quickly from Amanda to Francine to gauge the tension. Deciding he was good, he asked, "Were you able to find out anything about HiCo?"

Francine handed him a file folder, "Small company, eight full-time employees, three part-time. They've been around for the last sixteen years, started as a father and son shop, the father died three years ago and the son took over, slowly grew from there. Their main office is located down on Washington. The owner's name is Mike Sullivan."

"Thanks, Francine," Lee acknowledged as he opened the file and began skimming the pages.

Francine looked at Amanda who was flipping through pages in her organizer then to Lee. "If, um, you two don't need anything else from me, I'm going to head back downstairs and see if Billy needs anything," she said slowly before she crossed the office and opened the door.

"Could you tell him we will be out most of the day? I want to see if we can find Harborne and hopefully wrap this thing up," Lee stated.

"Will do," Francine replied and closed the door behind her with one last glance at a very quiet Amanda.

Amanda put the organizer away and folded her hands on her desk. She sat and stared at Lee, just blinking her eyes. She finally asked, "Lee, are we still fighting?"

Lee sat back on the edge of his desk and closed the file. "Are we?" he asked gruffly.

Amanda took a breath and as she exhaled, she confirmed, "We are." Lee folded his arms and clenched his jaw, the muscle in his cheek twitching wildly. "I know you don't understand why I'm so hesitant to change their routine," she began. Lee's only response was to purse his lips tighter. "But if we allow too many changes, then they will try to take advantage of everything. Give them an inch…" she tried to explain.

"I said I was sorry," Lee snapped.

Amanda took a deep breath again and replied, "I know you did, but I don't think you fully understand-"

"Oh, I understand. It's just like when I was a kid and my uncle made me remake my bed until I got it right. Follow the rules, and everything is fine. Try to bend them just a little bit, the apocalypse will come," Lee snapped again. He pushed off the desk and stormed to the door. "We have work to do so are you coming with me or are you going to stay here?"

Amanda contemplated staying at the Agency, but she knew Lee might need her help so she hesitantly removed her purse from the drawer and stood up. "I'm a professional and we need to solve this case. Our personal differences will have to be dealt with later."

Together they left the Q Bureau and descended the stairs where they heard Mrs. Marston stating quietly, "I'll let them know," before she hung up the phone. The older woman raised her head when they stepped off the staircase and said, "Scarecrow, that was Mr. Melrose. He just wanted to me to tell you two to be careful. He'll be expecting an update in two hours."

"Thanks," Lee muttered, handing back his badge.

"Oh, and Scarecrow?" Mrs. Marston stopped him. When they made eye contact, she finished, "Stop fighting. It's not very conducive to a healthy relationship."

Lee threw his hands in the air and asked, "Who says we're fighting?" Neither Amanda nor Mrs. Marston replied before he stomped outside saying, "I'll be in the car." Amanda handed her badge and followed him without a word.


	17. Chapter 17

**Chapter 17**

Mike Sullivan, the owner of HiCo Heating and Cooling, Inc. sat across from Lee and Amanda, sipping his coffee. "Mr. Stetson, Mrs. Stetson, I don't think Harry is the guy you're looking for, really. He's mild-mannered, comes to work on time, does his appointments, returns the truck without a problem. He's been my most consistent employee for the last three months. I was thinking about bumping him up to a lead tech, he's been that good," Mike explained with a shake of his head.

"Do you know where Harry lives?" Lee asked, his pen poised to write down any information they could get.

"Sure," Mike stated before taking a sip of his coffee again.

"And where would that be, Mr. Sullivan?" Amanda asked sweetly. She was beginning to get annoyed with the abrasive answers he was giving them.

"He lives here, right upstairs. His place burnt down a few weeks ago and he is such a good worker I didn't want to lose him, so I offered him a room over the shop. It's not much but he said he didn't have much anyway," Mike replied pointing to the ceiling.

"We'll need to take a look at his room," Lee stated.

"No can do. Not without a warrant. I'm not just going to invade his space because you think he might be this person you're looking for," Mike stated firmly. "Now, I have a lot to do today so if you wouldn't mind, there's the door."

"Mr. Sullivan, sir, now I understand why you wouldn't want to show us his private space, but please, understand. We're trying to protect anyone else from getting sick. Would you want him to do that to your wife or your brother?" Amanda pleaded with him.

Mike took a deep breath and exhaled loudly. "No, I suppose not. I won't show you his room, but I will tell you he's out on a call right now. What if I give you the address and you can talk to him yourself?" he offered.

Lee nodded in acceptance, "Sure, that would work. Where is he now?"

Mike pulled out a pink work order and handed it to Lee, "Senator McCarthy's place. He's having his vents cleared for the winter. It's a pretty intensive job so Harry should be there for most of the day."

Amanda's eyebrows shot up immediately, "Excuse me, did you say Senator McCarthy?"

"Yes. We have a contract through the Capitol police with authorized security clearance," Mike explained. "When anyone from the House or Congress needs work done, we are on a short list of authorized companies they work with."

Lee palmed his forehead and said, "Let me get this straight. You have authorized security clearance, yet you don't trust us enough to see his room? Did you even do a background check on this guy?"

Mike sat up straight in his chair and shuffled the papers on his desk into a haphazard pile as he stuttered, "It's been on my list of things to do."

Lee stood angrily, "What do you mean on your list? Do you understand you may have exposed several senators and their families to toxins because you haven't gotten to it yet?"

"Listen, I gave you the address! What more do you want from me?" Mike snapped back. "Take it and get out of here before I change my mind."

"Lee, we should go," Amanda stood and tugged on Lee's sleeve.

Lee pointed at Mike with the work order and snapped, "If anyone else gets hurt, you better believe I'm coming back here, and it won't be with a warrant to search that room!"

"Come on," Amanda tugged his arm again. She could see the muscle in his cheek twitching wildly, the vein in his neck throbbing with anger.

Lee stormed to the car and slammed the door closed after he sat down. "I can't believe that son of a-" Lee stopped and picked up the car phone. He dialed Billy's number and as soon as he heard Billy answer he snapped, "It's him, Billy. I need a warrant to search his room on Washington. He's been living above the shop since the fire."

"How can you be sure?" Billy questioned as he wrote down the information Lee was giving.

Lee whipped the car into traffic, earning a blaring horn from a car he cut off. "HiCo has a contract with Capitol police specifically for Congress and the Senate. He's supposed to do a background check, but he hasn't gotten to it yet." He sped through traffic, weaving in and out of slower moving cars.

"Lee, slow down," Amanda cried hanging onto the grab bar above her head.

"Where are you going now?" Billy asked. He could hear Amanda in the background crying out in surprise as well as the horns from the cars around them.

"We are heading to Senator McCarthy's on South Avenue. Harborne is working there all day," Lee stated.

"Ok, keep me filled in. I can't do anything until we confirm this Harry is really Marty Harborne," Billy stated.

"Will do," Lee agreed as he hung up the phone. He gripped the wheel tightly with both hands as he continued to weave between cars as they sped toward their destination.

Amanda gritted her teeth as she stated, "I really wish you wouldn't drive so fast."

Lee just shook his head, "I can't risk losing this guy, Amanda. For all we know, Sullivan called him, and he could be running right now."

"I know, but it's not going to do us any good if we don't make it there in one piece," she muttered as she squeezed her eyes closed.

Lee eased back on the accelerator a tiny bit as they continued to speed toward Senator McCarthy's house. He turned right onto South Avenue and slowed the car considerably as they neared the address. "Good, the truck is still here. Now, hopefully, we can get inside without spooking him," Lee stated.

Amanda opened her eyes and blinked several times as she tried to get her bearings. Lee parked the car and scrambled out quickly, looking up and down the street for anyone that could possibly interfere with them. Seeing the street empty, he slowed his walk, straightened his tie and helped Amanda out of the car. Together they approached the front door and rang the bell. They waited a long minute before the door opened and an older heavyset gentleman dressed in a running suit answered the door. "Yes? Can I help you?" the man asked.

"Senator McCarthy?" Amanda asked with a smile.

"That's me," the man answered.

"Sir, my name is Lee Stetson, and this is my partner, Amanda Stetson. We are federal agents and we're investigating the poisonings that have occurred recently," Lee began. Senator McCarthy couldn't hide the shocked expression on his face.

"We've spoken with the Senators that have gotten sick and they've all told us they voted against the funding for Milton-Guild College last year. Do you remember how you voted?" Amanda asked quietly.

"I voted against it as well. It was a waste of taxpayer funds if you ask me," Senator McCarthy exclaimed. "What is this all about?" he questioned.

"Senator, the repairman that is working in your house right now…where is he?" Lee asked quietly. He tried to look over the man's shoulder, deeper into his home but he couldn't see anything.

Senator McCarthy stepped aside to allow Lee and Amanda entrance into the living room. "He's cleaning the vents in the basement right now, why?"

Lee put his hand on the man's shoulder as he explained, "We have reason to believe that the repairman working here now might be our main suspect in this case. Now, did he give you his name?"

"Harry. I made a joke about that movie that just came out this year…you know the one, Harry and the Hendersons…Well, he told me he was smarter than everyone else I knew, not some dumb Neanderthal. I just shut my mouth after that and showed him the basement steps," the Senator explained.

"What did he do after that?" Amanda asked. She jumped when she heard a noise from below, like a metal tool being dropped on cement.

Senator McCarthy gestured toward the front door and stated, "He got some tools from his truck and headed downstairs. He's been down there for about an hour I would say."

Lee could hear what sounded like footsteps ascending the wooden stairs below. "Ok, I don't want to spook this guy so let's just stay calm and pretend like we are just here visiting you," Lee suggested.

"Like old friends," Amanda added with a tense smile.

"Yeah, just a couple of old friends stopping by," Lee agreed. The door to the basement opened and Harry stepped into the kitchen, clearly visible from where they stood.

"Oh, I'm sorry, Senator McCarthy. I didn't realize you had company," the man apologized. He was carrying a small duffle bag in one hand and a small utility vacuum in the other.

Amanda smiled politely and simply said, "Hello."

"I'll be out of your way in just a bit. Could I possibly get upstairs into the bedrooms? I want to check the vents up there, too," Harry said.

"Sure, just this way," Senator McCarthy said, his voice just a bit shaky. He looked at Lee who gave him a subtle nod before climbing the steps, Harry in tow.

Lee leaned close to Amanda and whispered, "He fits the description Cooper gave us perfectly. Now, we just need a few more minutes to get him comfortable before we can nab him."

"Nab him? We don't know for sure he's Marty Harborne," Amanda reminded him.

Lee started to respond but was interrupted when Senator McCarthy thumped down the steps loudly. "What do we do now? He's in the upstairs hall, checking the vents there before he's going to check the bedrooms," the older man asked nervously.

Lee pulled his gun from his holster and looked at the Senator. "You go move into the kitchen to be safe. Amanda, you stay here, at the bottom of the stairs just in case he gets past me. I'm going to try to get him to come with me without a fight, but just in case." Lee commanded.

"Right here, at the bottom of the stairs. Got it," Amanda nodded affirmatively. She watched Lee climb the steps silently as she stood at the bottom, one hand on the hall table beside her and the other on the banister.

"Harry?" Lee called when he reached the top of the stairs. He didn't see the scruffy looking repairman, so he moved down the hall a few more steps and peeked into the first open doorway. Finding no one, he continued to the next bedroom door and called out again, "Harry?" Again, hearing no response he moved to the third door across the hall. Lee spotted the man crouched down by an air vent, a small silver canister in his hand. "Harborne!" Lee shouted.

Marty Harborne's head snapped in Lee's direction when he heard his name. Lee planted his feet and leveled his gun, but Marty was already on the move. He caught Lee off guard as he barreled past him, knocking Lee's gun free. Marty scrambled down the hall and stopped only when he heard Amanda shout out "Lee!" With one hand on the wall and the other on the rail, Marty ran down the steps as quickly as he could, Lee closing the gap between them. He threw himself at Amanda, knocking her down, her head slamming off the table beside her before the table crashed over and onto her now unconscious body.

"Amanda!" Lee cried as he watched her collapse, the table landing on top of her. He took the stairs as quickly as he dared as Marty yanked the front door open and ran to the truck outside. Lee slid onto his knees, pushing the table off Amanda as he heard the truck's engine fire to life outside, followed by the sound of squealing tires.

Lee gently lifted Amanda's head and cringed when he saw the purple egg immediately forming on Amanda's head. "Amanda? Amanda, wake up," Lee commanded gently but she didn't respond. "Senator?!" Lee shouted. "Call 911, my wife's been hurt!"


	18. Chapter 18

**Chapter 18**

"Lee, have you heard any news?" Billy asked as he entered the Emergency Room waiting area where Lee was pacing frantically, watching the large double doors.

"No, they won't let me back there either!" Lee snapped as he threw his hand at the door. "And Nurse Ratchet over there keeps telling me to sit down."

Billy removed his hat and clutched it in his hand. He scrubbed his face with the other then gestured toward the hard-plastic chairs in the corner. "Maybe we should sit, and you can fill me in," he gently commanded. Lee exhaled loudly, glanced at the doors once more then slumped his shoulders as he followed Billy. He dropped into the chair, holding his head with his hands. Billy placed one hand on Lee's shoulder. "So, what happened?" Billy asked.

Lee lifted his head and blinked rapidly, trying to fight the tears that had welled in his eyes. "He was there," he began.

"Harborne? You're sure it was him?" Billy questioned.

"Yeah, I'm sure. I called his name and he looked right at me. Amanda was at the bottom of the stairs and when I drew my gun, he surprised me, and managed to get past me. I chased him down the hall and saw him jump the last few steps, hitting Amanda in the process. She fell, hit her head on the table, then the table fell on her. He slipped out the front and by the time I got to Amanda he was in the truck and gone," Lee explained.

Billy nodded then added, "On my way here, Francine confirmed a team was on their way to McCarthy's house."

"Good, good. I'm pretty sure he left his tools there so maybe they'll find something," Lee craned his head to look up at the ceiling.

"Mr. Stetson?" a male voice called from across the room. Lee's head snapped forward and his eyes focused on the doctor standing there. Lee and Billy rose to their feet as the man approached. "Mr. Stetson, I'm Doctor Javier Sierra. I'm handling your wife's case," he stated.

"How is she, Doctor?" Billy asked.

"She's still unconscious. We did take an x-ray and I don't see any fractures or areas of concern. Has she received a head injury in the past?" Doctor Sierra looked at Lee expectantly.

Lee looked to the side for a moment, thinking, then shook his head and confirmed, "Yes, about four years ago she had a concussion. She hit her head in a car accident."

Doctor Sierra nodded, "That may explain her slower response. You see, concussions have a way of compounding so even though it's been four years, her brain is still responding in a negative way. It is trying to protect itself by keeping her unconscious so it can heal without further damage."

Lee furrowed his brow, confused, "So what are you trying to say, Doc? Is she going to be okay?" He ran his hand through his hair nervously.

"Your wife will be fine, it's just going to take her a little longer to heal," the doctor explained. "Why don't you come back and see her for yourself."

Billy nodded with a blink of his eyes at Lee and said quietly, "You go. I'll call Francine and see if we can get an update."

Lee followed Doctor Sierra through the double doors he had been staring at for the last hour. They walked down the long corridor, side by side until they reached a small room on the right. The door was open although a curtain was blocking the view. Lee could hear Amanda coughing and gagging as they entered the room. He moved swiftly past the doctor, swiping the curtain aside. "Amanda," he breathed, rushing to her side.

Amanda was leaning to her side, wiping her mouth on a small towel the nurse had just handed her. The nurse moved to the tiny adjacent bathroom carrying a pink, plastic basin.

"Mrs. Stetson, it's nice to see you awake," Doctor Sierra stated. He moved to the opposite side of the bed from where Lee was now hovering over her and gently stroking her hair off her face. "Mr. Stetson, please, I'd like to do a quick examination of your wife but you're in the way."

"Oh, sorry," Lee muttered as he leaned back. He reached over and pulled the small plastic chair closer to the bed, sat down and held Amanda's hand as the doctor performed a short exam on Amanda, checking her pupil reaction, her ability to follow instructions. Amanda squinted as the doctor flipped on a small penlight.

"Doctor, that light is too bright," Amanda groaned, turning her head away from the light. She brought her hand to her head and touched the bruise on her forehead tenderly. "What happened? Did you get Harborne?"

"No, no I didn't but don't worry about that," Lee reassured her.

"Harborne?" the doctor mouthed at Lee, confused.

Lee held up one finger to silence the doctor as he asked, "Amanda, what do you remember from this morning?"

Amanda inhaled then exhaled slowly as she tried to get her thoughts focused. "We…we were fighting on the way to work this morning…" she said slowly.

Lee grimaced, "Yes, we were. Do you remember why?"

Amanda concentrated for a moment then replied, "Allowing Jamie to stay up late to watch the meteor shower tonight."

Lee nodded in confirmation, "Good, good. Yes, we were arguing about allowing Jamie to stay up late. What else do you remember?" Lee stroked her hand with his thumb as she breathed heavily again.

"I remember…I remember that man at HiCo…he wasn't being very cooperative," she continued. "But he did tell us about Senator McCarthy."

The doctor watched and waited, just listening to Amanda and Lee. He was unsure what Lee was doing.

"Senator McCarthy, right. Then we went to the Senator's house, do you know what happened when we got there?" Lee encouraged her, his thumb consistently moving along her hand.

Amanda reached up and touched her head once more, closed her eyes and tried to think. "We saw Harry…Harborne…he went upstairs and…and..." she trailed off.

"That's right, Harborne went upstairs and I followed him," Lee offered hoping he could trigger her memory.

Amanda groaned, "Oh… you went upstairs, and I heard you yell. Then thumping… like when the boys are running around when they're not supposed to…"

Lee chuckled at her comparison and nodded, "Yes, he was running."

"He ran down the stairs. I tried to stop him, stayed right there like you told me to but-" Amanda said quickly. She stopped abruptly and squinted her eyes trying to remember what happened next.

Doctor Sierra looked at Lee and smiled. "That's okay, Mrs. Stetson. You don't need to continue. I know what happened next. You hit your head on a table when the man knocked you down. Mr. Stetson told the ambulance driver as they brought you in. You did well, it doesn't appear as if you have any major memory loss." The doctor palpitated the tender spot on Amanda's head. "The swelling should go down in a day or so but I'm going to tell you to take it easy. Rest as much as you can. If light bothers you, keep everything dim but not dark. You'll need to go five days without any type of a headache. I will not suggest aspirin during this time as you do not want to mask the symptoms," the doctor explained.

"Can she go home, Doctor?" Lee asked, his eyes open wide.

Doctor Sierra looked from Lee to Amanda and said, "I'd just like to run a few more tests before we release her."

Lee glanced at his watch and stood up. "I'll need to arrange for someone to pick up our sons from school," he stated.

Amanda reached up to touch his arm. "The boys have clubs today. We have an extra hour," she reminded him.

"I know but I want to make sure. I'll see if Francine can get them," Lee stated. He didn't want her to worry.

"If you're sure..." she trailed off, closing her eyes again as another wave of nausea passed over her. She held her hand up and the nurse was beside her immediately holding the pink basin near her head. Lee grimaced as she retched and gagged once more.

"Doctor, is that normal?" Lee asked nervously.

"Absolutely. Your wife will most likely experience several different symptoms over the course of the next few days. The most obvious will be a headache and nausea however she could also display evidence of memory problems, weakness, numbness, dizziness, possible decreases in balance or coordination. She may present symptoms of confusion, slurred speech, and she may even have changes in her mood or behavior as well as sleep and excess fatigue," Doctor Sierra rattled off.

Lee nodded in understanding, leaned forward to kiss Amanda gently on the forehead and said softly, "I'll be right back," before he stepped out of the room.


	19. Chapter 19

**Chapter 19**

"Ok, she's settled in for now," Lee told Dotty as he descended the stairs.

Dotty was ringing the dish towel in her hand nervously. "I don't understand what happened," she exclaimed.

"I told you Dotty, we were sent over to Senator McCarthy's house to do a piece on the recent poisonings when Amanda tripped over some tools a repairman left on the floor and she hit her head on a table," Lee stated. He tried to keep the story as close as he could in case Amanda said anything in a state of confusion.

Dotty shook her head, "I told her she shouldn't wear those heels this morning. She insisted she would be fine even though they are brand new and you know how new shoes can throw you off." She looked up the stairs and stated, "And the doctor said she'll be okay?"

Lee put his arm around her shoulders and steered his mother-in-law into the kitchen. "The doctor said she'll be fine, she just needs time. He said because of that concussion she had a few years ago-" Lee started.

"You know about that? When Amanda had amnesia?" Dotty questioned, her eyes wide.

Lee thought fast, "Yeah, she told me all about it when I had a concussion last year. I think she was trying to make me feel better."

"Oh, it was awful. She couldn't remember anything that happened to her but yet she remembered her favorite meal. And then she would be gone, just disappeared for hours," Dotty explained as she waved her hands around dramatically.

"That must have been so scary," Lee exhaled. He realized he would have to watch what he said in regards to how much he actually knew about Amanda's past four years.

"I was just thankful she was fine in a few days. So maybe, if I make her favorite meal again it will help her feel better," Dotty suggested.

Lee smiled warmly and reminded her, "I don't know if she'll be up to eating tonight, she's been pretty nauseous all afternoon. She just fell asleep so that's the best we can hope for tonight."

"Lee! Tell him to knock it off!" Jamie yelled at Philip as they entered the kitchen from the garage.

"Hey, just because you can't see your stupid little meteor show tonight doesn't mean you can take it out on me," Philip snapped back.

Jamie stopped short and spun around to face Philip, "I said, knock it off and leave me alone!" In his frustration, Jamie pushed Philip away angrily.

"Woah! Hey, none of that!" Dotty exclaimed as she stepped between the boys.

Lee shook his head and stated firmly, "Your mother is upstairs asleep, so I'm going to need you two to keep it down. Now, what is going on?"

Jamie glared at Philip as he hissed, "Philip won't leave me alone! I just wanted to set up the telescope so that maybe I could see a little bit of it before bed."

"But Mom already said you couldn't stay up late, remember?!" Philip reminded him.

"Hey, enough," Lee said sharply. "Now there's nothing wrong with Jamie setting up the telescope. Your mom did say if your homework was done, you could go out for a few minutes before lights out. Now, what is this really about?"

"Nothing! He just always has to be right!" Jamie snapped as he pointed to Philip.

Lee gently pushed Jamie's hand down as he looked at Philip, "I think you need to give your brother a break. And I need both of you to keep the noise level dow-" Lee was cut off by the sound of Amanda calling him. Lee turned and ran up the stairs to find Amanda standing in the doorway of the bathroom, holding onto the frame for balance. "What's wrong?" he asked.

"I got sick again, but I'm too dizzy to make it back to bed," Amanda explained softly.

Lee scooped her up and carried her back to the bed. He laid her down carefully and brushed her hair off her face once more when she settled back against the pillow. "You want some ice for your head?" He asked.

"No, thank you," Amanda replied, her words soft and slurred. "I'm just really tired. I need to sleep." She closed her eyes and her body relaxed quickly.

Lee stayed beside her for another few minutes as her breathing evened off once more. He quietly got up and left the room, leaving the door open just a few inches so he could hear if she needed him again. He returned to the kitchen to find Dotty and Philip alone, Jamie noticeably absent. "Where'd Jamie go?"

"He's pouting in his room," Philip rolled his eyes.

Dotty looked at him sternly and stated, "What did I just tell you, young man?"

Philip muttered "sorry" before he stood up and said, "I'll be downstairs watching TV." He didn't wait for anyone's reply as he jogged down the steps to the family room.

Lee sighed and ran his hand through his hair. He looked at Dotty for help but her simple reply was, "Parenting isn't always easy." He turned and walked back up the stairs to Jamie's room where he found the door closed and locked.

He knocked and said, "Jamie, it's Lee. Can I come in?" He heard the door unlock and saw the knob turn but the door only gently opened a few inches. Lee pushed it open fully just as Jamie flopped down onto his bed. "Hey, what's wrong?"

Jamie rolled his eyes and shook his head but didn't answer. Lee sat on the edge of the bed and looked at him without saying a word. They sat in tense silence for several minutes before Lee heard Jamie exhale loudly. "Lee? Is my mom going to be all right?"

Lee put his hand on Jamie's leg and said, "She's going to be fine. I promise. The doctor just said she needs a few days of rest but during that time she may have all kinds of symptoms, so we just have to be patient and let them pass."

Jamie pushed himself onto his elbow and looked at Lee, "What if they don't pass? I mean, what if there's something else wrong? I was reading in the encyclopedia that sometimes it takes months to get over a head injury."

Lee chuckled at his step-son and said, "The doctor is pretty confident she'll be fine. Tell you what, I need to make a phone call right now in the office, but after that, I'll show you the discharge paperwork from the hospital, all right?"

Jamie nodded slowly so Lee stood and began to leave when Jamie asked, "Lee?"

Lee turned back and looked at him, "Yeah?"

"Lee, do you think I can stay up…just fifteen minutes later? Please?" Jamie pleaded, his hazel eyes blinking behind his glasses.

Lee's heart went out to the boy, so he nodded and agreed, "Fifteen minutes, no more."

Jamie scrambled off the bed and gave Lee a big hug as he exclaimed, "Thanks, Lee!"

Lee hugged him back and said quietly, "You're welcome. I'll be back in a few minutes with those papers." Lee left Jamie's room and headed back down into the office where he closed the door and locked it before he picked up the phone and dialed IFF. He asked for Francine and waited while the call was transferred.

"Lee! How's Amanda?" Francine asked as soon as the transfer clicked through.

"She's asleep again. She's gotten sick a few more times since we've been home and she's off balance," Lee explained solemnly. "Did you find anything in Harborne's room?" Lee immediately switched into work mode.

Francine knew Lee was compartmentalizing himself, trying to focus on the case so she explained, "Lots. It was like a high school chem lab; beakers and tubes everywhere, Bunsen burners galore."

"Well, he is a chemist. Anything else?" Lee stated.

"Well, at McCarthy's the sweep team found what appeared to be a small canister. They immediately sent it to the lab for testing and it was a match for our toxin," Francine announced.

Lee grabbed a notepad and began jotting down everything Francine was telling him. "Great, so now we know how he was doing it. Anything else?" Lee confirmed.

Francine watched Billy crossing the bullpen toward her desk, "Hang on, here comes Billy." She looked up at their boss, holding the phone slightly off her ear, "What's up?"

Billy pointed at the phone, "Lee?" Francine nodded in confirmation. "How's Amanda?" he asked.

"Lee said she's asleep. Sick and off balance," Francine stated.

"Good, she needs the rest. I was just informed the surveillance team is in place at HiCo if Harborne comes back. There's an APB on the truck with the local PD as well. So now, we wait," Billy informed them.

Francine held the receiver closer to her face, "Lee, did you hear that?"

"Yeah, I heard. He's not going to go back there. But at least we know it's him and he won't be poisoning anyone else any time soon. Did you get the list from Cooper's secretary?" Lee questioned, his mind switching gears once again.

"Yes, we got that this morning and were able to contact everyone else on the list. So far so good," Francine explained.

Lee put the pen down on the notepad and leaned back in the chair. He rubbed the back of his neck with one hand and sighed, "Well, keep me informed. If Harborne surfaces, I want to know."

"Will do. And tell Amanda I hope she feels better," Francine said softly. She hung up the phone and looked up at Billy who was still standing at her desk, his eyebrows raised. "What? She's my friend and I-" Francine began but Billy cut her off when he raised his hand.

"I feel the same way, too. And I'm sure Lee is going to be right beside her the whole time," Billy agreed.

"Alpha Surveillance Team is going to be reporting in every two hours. Ferguson will call me at home later if anything happens," Francine confirmed the plan for the evening.

Billy pressed his lips tightly, nodded his head and stated, "We'll get him. The net will drop down and we'll get him."


	20. Chapter 20

**Chapter 20**

Lee stepped off the elevator and walked briskly down the hall to the bullpen. He pulled the doors open and immediately crossed the room to Billy's office. He knocked twice and opened the door as soon as he heard Billy's voice instruct, "Enter."

"Billy, Francine, what's the latest update?" Lee asked as he closed the door behind him.

"Good morning, Lee. Francine was just getting to that. But first, how's Amanda this morning?" Billy smiled at Lee.

Lee dropped into one of the seats across from Billy's desk, "She had a rough night, but that's to be expected. She was sleeping when I left this morning. Dotty said she would keep an eye on her."

"She's strong. It will pass," Billy reminded him. "Now, Francine, what's the latest surveillance update?"

Francine looked down at the papers in her hand and summarized, "Not much. He didn't show up back at HiCo last night and no one's spotted the truck yet. The lab did manage to analyze everything they found in his room and it was most definitely his shop. His fridge was filled with vial after vial just waiting to be mixed."

"But no sign of him. Dammit. I never should have let him get past me!" Lee snapped. He stood abruptly and began pacing as he ran his hand through his hair.

"Scarecrow, just calm down. Take a deep breath and settle yourself," Billy commanded.

Lee stopped pacing and stared at Billy. "You don't get it. If I had stopped him in that room, he wouldn't be on the run right now and Amanda would never-" Lee stopped talking just as suddenly as he had stopped pacing.

"Amanda would never have what? You can't blame yourself for Amanda getting hurt. It's a chance we take every time we go out into the field," Francine reasoned.

"Francine's right. Amanda knows the risks every time we walk out of this office. Nothing you did could have changed what happened," Billy agreed.

"But I should have kept chasing him outside, maybe I could have caught up with him, maybe…" Lee's voice trailed off as he slumped into one of the chairs.

"Or maybe you would have gotten hurt worse than Amanda. Now quit this caveman syndrome and stop beating yourself up over this!" Francine stated.

Lee leaned forward, his hands on his head. He inhaled and exhaled several times loudly then ran his hand down his face and conceded, "You're right. I know you're right, but it doesn't make it any easier."

Billy sat back in his chair and agreed, "No it doesn't, but you have to remain objective, Scarecrow. Otherwise, we are not going to find Harborne." Before Lee could respond, the phone on Billy's desk rang, the shrill sound echoed throughout the room. Billy grabbed the receiver quickly, "Melrose. Are you sure it's him? Okay, don't lose him. Scarecrow and Francine are on their way." He placed the phone on the desk and stated, "Franklin and Murphy have spotted Harborne and the truck cruising the Washington Memorial Parkway heading toward Gravelly Point."

Lee stood quickly and crossed the room in two long steps, Francine right behind him. He yanked the door open and ran through the bullpen to the outside elevator. He hit the button continuously as Francine joined him. They heard Billy call down the hall to them, "Scarecrow, Francine, get Harborne but be careful. He may have more of that poison on him and the last thing we need is anyone else getting sick."

Lee nodded, his lips pressed tightly together while Francine acknowledged him, "Will do, Billy." The elevator doors slid open and the pair stepped inside. They emerged in the garage where the motor pool vehicle Lee was using sat near the door. They climbed inside and Lee started the car, slammed the car into reverse and squealed out of the parking spot. "Lee, slow down!" she cried.

"Do you want to lose him?" Lee snapped. The car thumped loudly as they hit the bottom of the ramp, sparks flying from the sudden impact of metal on concrete. They turned sharply onto the main street and Lee sped in the direction of the Potomac, praying traffic would be light.

"Lee, we need a game plan. This Harborne, from everything I've read about him, he's most likely going to be unarmed," Francine stated, hoping to distract Lee and calm his erratic driving.

Lee nodded in agreement, "I don't see him carrying weapons, other than the toxin." He eased up on the accelerator and slowed at the next traffic light.

Francine relaxed a bit as they turned onto the next road, closing the gap between them and Gravelly Point. "How about we approach him slowly, talk to him, you know. He's bound to be scared. He's not used to being on the run," she suggested.

"Yeah, yeah," Lee muttered. He could see the turnoff for Gravelly Point ahead and pulled off to the side of the road was a small brown sedan where Franklin and Murphy sat, waiting for them. He pulled onto the shoulder and got out where Murphy met him first.

"He pulled in about five minutes ago, hasn't come back out yet. There's nowhere else for him to go," Murphy stated.

"And you're sure it was him?" Lee questioned as he scanned the quiet entry road.

"It was him all right. We ran the plates to confirm," Murphy assured him.

Lee looked down at the ground then at Murphy and asked, "And he was alone?"

"Definitely alone, Scarecrow," Franklin interjected. "He hasn't stopped anywhere since we spotted him."

Francine stepped up beside Lee and explained, "Scarecrow and I will go in first, you two, follow behind just in case he gets past us. We'll try to take him quietly, not cause a scene in the park."

"Right, ok. Let's get this show on the road," Lee said as he bounced the car keys in his hand. He and Francine climbed back into the sedan and drove slowly into the parking area. Francine spotted the truck and pointed to the left where Lee steered the car. The truck appeared to be empty, so Lee pulled the sedan into a spot and climbed out. He glanced into the truck cab and nodded at Francine the truck was indeed empty. They opened the tailgate to confirm he wasn't hiding in the bed of the truck.

Francine looked across the parking lot to the grassy field where she could see a few people gathering together, flying kites. A short distance away they could see a lone individual sitting at a picnic table, staring out over the water. "That's him," Lee whispered loudly, pointing to the man sitting alone. They walked side by side to the grass when Lee stopped short, reaching out to Francine. "He's already seen me so let's try not to spook him. Tell you what, I'll cut around by those trees just in case he starts to run," Lee gestured at a small grove of trees set back near the trail.

"Good idea. I'll wait until you give me a signal before I get closer," Francine confirmed. Lee nodded sharply and took off, jogging around the kite flyers. He considered drawing his gun until he saw a mother chasing her toddler across the grass in front of them. He stopped once he cleared the field, standing beside the trees. He raised his hand and waved to Francine indicating he was in place.

Francine approached Dr. Harborne, who was still sitting at the table watching a sailboat glide silently down the river. "Dr. Harborne?' Francine asked quietly. He didn't respond right away so she took a few more steps closer and called him again, "Marty Harborne?"

Dr. Harborne looked up at her, confused. He was still wearing his HiCo uniform, his shirt wrinkled as if he had slept in it, his hair blowing around his head. "Do I know you?" he asked.

"No," Francine smiled, hoping a friendly approach would work best. "My name is Francine Desmond. I'm a federal agent and I'm here about the poisoning of five senators and the attempted poisoning of a sixth."

"It was me," Dr. Harborne confirmed. "Have you ever been fired from a job, Miss Desmond?"

"Yes, when I was seventeen. I worked at this little coffee shop," Francine tried.

"But were you fired because you found something no one else had found then a bunch of people you don't even know decided you shouldn't be paid any more?" Dr. Harborne cried.

"No," Francine shook her head. "No, I was fired because the owner's daughter didn't like me."

Dr. Harborne looked at her, his face turning red in anger, "Did you lose everything because of it?"

Francine replied, "No." She put her hand on the table beside him, hoping to get closer to him in case she needed to subdue him. She glanced over at Lee, but he hadn't moved, he was just watching.

"I lost my wife, my home, my job, everything all because those putzes in the Senate decided I wasn't worthy enough, because I found a chemical that would bond with toxins and extend their ability to survive in the air longer," he sneered.

"I understand, believe me, I do," Francine stated as she got closer.

Dr. Harborne stood up abruptly and pulled another small canister out of his pocket. "No, no you don't! There's no way you could understand!" he shouted. His hands were shaking as he held the canister in front of him.

Francine immediately backed up and raised her hands, "I'm not here to hurt you, Dr. Harborne, but I need you to come with me. We can do this the easy way or-"

"NO! I'm not going with you!" he shouted loudly, drawing the attention of the other patrons at the park.

Lee heard a woman scream, then watched as a few patrons began running toward the trees near him. "Harborne!" Lee hollered, hoping to draw Harborne's attention away from Francine. Dr. Harborne's head snapped in Lee's direction then back at Francine. Panicked, he pressed the button on the canister and a small cloud formed between them. Francine dove to the ground and rolled to the side, hoping to avoid the toxin. Dr. Harborne threw the canister in Francine's direction before he took off running down the paved trail that snaked along the park.

Lee watched as Dr. Harborne threw the small canister at Francine then started running. Lee took off from the small grove, in an attempt to cut him off before he got too far away. He tackled Dr. Harborne and two of them tumbled to the ground where Dr. Harborne swung one fist at Lee. Lee grabbed the front of his uniform shirt, raised his fist and growled, "This is for my wife!" He punched him once in the jaw, Dr. Harborne's head lolling to the side as he muttered, "I give up, I give up." Lee climbed off him and yanked him roughly to his feet. He heard Francine running along the path, so he turned in her direction and asked, "You all right?"

Francine nodded, "I'm fine. I think the wind was blowing just right. Now let's get the good doctor here back to the Agency. I think he's going to like spending time in our hospitality."

Lee snapped a set of handcuffs on Dr. Harborne and pulled him toward Francine. "Call Billy, let him know we have him," he instructed.


	21. Chapter 21

**Chapter 21**

Dotty was in the kitchen, wiping down the island when she heard the door open from the garage, "Lee, is that you?" she called.

"It is, Dotty. How's Amanda?" Lee asked as he finally entered the kitchen.

Dotty smiled at her son-in-law, "She's resting in the living room."

"The living room? She should be in bed!" Lee exclaimed, taking two long strides to the doorway where he could see Amanda asleep on the couch, a blanket laid over her.

"Shhhh, she just ate some soup and now she's resting again. It's the first thing I could get her to eat all day," Dotty admonished him. Lee watched Amanda sleep, her chest rising and falling evenly, her face relaxed. "Would you like something?" Dotty asked him but he was watching Amanda so intently he didn't hear her. "Lee!" she said sharply. "Would you like something?" she asked again, softer.

"Um, no, thank you," Lee replied sheepishly. "I'm just going to get changed," he stated before he went to their bedroom. He first removed his jacket then slipped his shoulder holster off. He checked his gun to ensure the safety clip was still on before placing everything into the bottom drawer of his nightstand. He changed out of his suit and into a sweater and jeans and pulled out his sneakers. He was sitting on the edge of the bed when he heard a soft knock on the bedroom door. "Come on in," Lee stated as Dotty pushed the door open.

Dotty stood in the doorway, looking at Lee, "Was everything okay at work today?"

Lee shrugged his shoulder and nodded, "Yeah. I was able to finish up on a project we were working on and now all I need to do this afternoon is write up a summary about those Senators. I figured I could do that here, in the office, in case you needed to run out or anything."

Dotty smiled, "That's sweet. The boys will need to be picked up in about an hour and I could pick up a few things at the store if you don't mind."

Lee finished tying his sneakers and crossed the room. He laid his hands on Dotty's shoulders reassuringly as he said, "I don't mind at all. Take Amanda's car. If you're picking up groceries, let me give you some money." Lee pulled out his wallet and handed Dotty five twenty-dollar bills.

"Lee, this is one hundred dollars," Dotty exclaimed. "I only need a few things."

"I know Amanda isn't going to be up to going shopping for a few days and I sort of promised the boys they could have a few friends over this weekend for Halloween, so could you pick up some snacks or something for them?" Lee asked.

Dotty narrowed her eyes at him and said, "You're still doing that? Even with Amanda in the condition she's in?"

Lee looked down at the floor and sighed before admitting, "I don't want to disappoint the boys, you know. We went through all that work of getting the firepit done and the fort… Jamie was pretty happy last night." Lee smiled at the memory of Jamie staring through his telescope and the excitement when he spotted the first meteor streaking across the night sky.

" _Lee! Did you see that?" he exclaimed._

" _No, Chief, what'd I miss?" Lee climbed up and sat beside Jamie in the raised fort._

" _It was fast and white," Jamie explained. "Look, there's another one!" Jamie moved to the side far enough for Lee to look through the eyepiece._

" _Pretty neat," Lee said as he watched another flash go by. He moved away so Jamie could reclaim his spot beside the telescope._

 _Jamie peered through the small eyepiece once more and said," It's a good thing I looked this up first because I never would've looked at this constellation. It's called Leo Minor or the Small Lion. There are four stars that make up the main constellation but... Oh… I forget how many actually make up the rest."_

 _Lee couldn't hide the grin on his face as he observed Jamie, completely lost in what he was watching. Jamie suddenly sat back, took off his glasses and rubbed his eyes. He blinked several times before sliding his glasses back on and leaning forward to look through the eyepiece once more. "You okay?" Lee asked and placed his hand on Jamie's shoulder to get his attention. Jamie nodded and continued to peer into the small opening once more. He shifted slightly and tried to hide a yawn. Lee glanced down at his watch and noticed it was nine thirty. "We should probably get inside. It's late… later… than we thought," Lee stated and scooted closer to the ladder._

 _Jamie looked up at Lee, his eyes squinting as he tried to focus in the darkness surrounding them. "Lee," he said quietly._

" _Yeah?" Lee stopped climbing down the ladder, only his shoulders and head visible to Jamie._

" _Thanks," Jamie replied. Without waiting for a reply, he carefully began putting the caps on the telescope lens and gently folded the tripod, handing everything to Lee now standing on the ground below. He climbed down and together, they carried everything into the house._

Dotty watched Lee's face as he was lost in the memory of the previous evening. "Earth to Lee," she stated with a chuckle. Lee didn't immediately respond so she snapped her fingers several times to get his attention.

"Sorry, I was just thinking about last night. Jamie was so good this morning. He got right up when I woke them and he was even dressed before Philip," Lee admitted.

Dotty laughed again, "Doesn't surprise me. He's just like Amanda was as a child. He can get right up in the morning, no matter how little sleep he gets but beware, the next day. He can be a real bear by the afternoon."

Lee pursed his lips, "Yeah, I was afraid of that. I'll talk to him when he gets home." Lee glanced down at his watch and reminded Dotty, "If you're going to pick them up, you might want to leave soon. You don't want to be late."

"No, I definitely don't want that," she exclaimed as she jogged down the steps. "Oh, Lee, is it getting colder out? The weatherman said it might get chilly this afternoon."

Lee shook his head, "Not too bad, but fall is definitely here. The air was a little crisp this morning."

Dotty stopped at the closet and pulled out a jacket and replied, "That reminds me of my favorite quote by F. Scott Fitzgerald. 'Life starts all over again when it gets crisp in the fall.' Jordan says it to Daisy in The Great Gatsby when she is moaning about what they're going to do because she's so bored, yet he sees it as a new beginning. Ahh, those were the days. They don't write stories like those anymore."

"No, they don't," Lee agreed. He could hear Amanda stirring in the living room. "You better go. I'll take care of Amanda."

Dotty stopped one last time and put her hand on Lee, "Amanda's so lucky to have found someone like you."

Lee smiled once more and stated, "And so am I. Amanda came into my life at a time when I needed her the most, although I didn't know it then." He heard Amanda groan loudly. "Amanda? I'm coming!" he called. He heard the garage door close as he knelt beside Amanda. "Hey, what's wrong?" he asked softly.

"Lee?" Amanda said, confused. "Why are you home? Is it that late already?"

Lee brushed a bit of hair away from Amanda's face gently as he explained, "No, I came home early to be with you. We got Harborne earlier today."

"Oh," Amanda groaned. She closed her eyes again, "Can you make the room stop spinning?"

"I wish I could but the only thing that's going to do that is rest. Can I get you some water?" Lee asked softly again.

"Please," Amanda replied. Before Lee could move, she pushed herself up abruptly and stumbled to the half bath nearby. She fell to her knees just in time as nausea took over once again. Lee hesitated, then took a deep breath and followed her. Without asking he wet a washcloth and handed it to Amanda. He rubbed her back until the gagging subsided and, once she rinsed her mouth, he carefully carried her back to the couch.

"I'll get you some of that peppermint tea your mother has. That should help a little," Lee said lovingly. He turned and walked into the kitchen to start the water, completely thrown off at how fragile Amanda appeared. He was instantly reminded of their trip to California and how he almost lost her.

"Sweetheart," Amanda called after him. Lee rushed back into the room, worried. "I just wanted to thank you for taking care of me," she whispered, her voice shaky.

Lee knelt down beside her once more, gently kissed her forehead and said, "This is just the beginning."

 _To be continued in The Heart of Autumn..._


End file.
